Hashashin
by Pojko
Summary: After his heart is broken, Ron descends into a world of drugs, violence, and newly awoken power. Can Kim realize her mistake before he  destroys himself and others?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: This is actually an old story of mine. It was the first story I ever posted on this site, but later took down. For those who are reading it for the first time, I hope you enjoy it. For those who might be reading it a second time, welcome back.

Hashashin was my second serious attempt at writing a Kim Possible story. I wrote it about three years ago. It's not my favorite story in the world for several reasons. But I know that a lot of people did like it back in the day. And in the end I'm here to entertain the readers, I'm here to give the people something they'll enjoy. And I realize that I've been neglecting my Kim/Ron fans in the past three stories I've published. Hopefully they'll like this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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Ah so this was it. This is what it felt like.

Senior year.

After three long and arduous years, the day was finally here. They were seniors. It was exciting and depressing all at the same time. One on hand, three years of work had paid off. More than that considering all the school they had attended before high school. It was like an artist who was one stroke away from completing a brilliant painting, or a composer one note away from finishing a masterpiece of music. They were almost there; they could see the light at the end of the tunnel. High school was almost over!

On the other, they were but one year away from the real world. Most would go off to college to further their education, while others would go directly into the work force.

Ron Stoppable would most likely be in the latter.

He had done many great things in his life. He had saved or helped save the world on dozens of occasions. He had been a master chef, a multi millionaire, he had written the winning song on American Star Maker. It's a shame none of that counted now when it mattered the most. Here he was, only months from graduation, with not a whole lot to show for his years of toiling away at Middleton High School. But at least he had accomplished one thing worth while. And it was the most important thing of all.

Her.

Following the Bueno Nacho sitch on the night of junior year prom, he had finally told Kim his true feelings about her. Feelings that he had only discovered just a few days earlier, but ones he had possessed for such a long time in hindsight. They were now officially a couple. They had been so ever since that day. That was nearly three months ago. And they were still going strong to this day.

It didn't matter to him much that only a few hours earlier they had failed to capture Professor Dementor. It didn't matter that he had nearly been killed by the laser, with only his incredible running abilities to save him while Kim fought Dementor. Sure, it would have been nice to have captured him. But in the end it wasn't enough to bring Ron down from his high on life. Nothing seemed to be these days. He had found his bliss, his inner peace. He had found her.

And there they were now in the halls of the high school, ready to take on a whole new year, a whole new challenge. But at the same time, it was business as usual, so not the drama. Just another day of school for these teenagers. As if they hadn't faced worse and come out alive. But this knowledge was not enough to contain Ron's frenzy.

"Can you believe it Kim?" he asked excitedly as they strode down the hall. "We're seniors! You, me! Seniors! This is awesome. No, this is totally beyond awesome. Kim, what's a word better than awesome?"

Kim could only smile and shake her head lightly at her boyfriends' antics. "Um, magnificent?"

"No no no, we need something better than that."

"Impressive?" she asked.

"Ah no! That still doesn't capture the pure awesomeness of this moment Kim."

Rufus stuck his head out of Ron's pocket to agree with his owner.

Little did Ron know, Kim was far from being out of possible answers.

"Astonishing? Grandiose? Majestic?"

"Yes!" he shouted, scaring a nearby freshman. "This is totally majestic Kim. By the way, major props on the vocab. No wonder you got nothing but A's. Well except for-"

Kim stopped in her tracks and pointed a finger at him. "Ron, we do not talk about any home ec incidents, remember?"

"Oh right," he said, slapping his palm to his forehead. "Boyfriend rule #11. We do not talk about the flaws of our girlfriends, under penalty of being yelled at, and then suddenly being ignored, then being yelled at again, then ignored again, and so on. What kind of weird torture is that anyway?"

"The girl kind," she smiled.

"Well whatever kind it is, I don't like it," he pouted. "I still remember that one Saturday when I said that skirt we saw at the mall would look way too tight on you."

"Well what girl wouldn't think that you were calling her fat?"

Ron couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I don't know. The sane kind?"

Kim gave him a dark glare before turning her back on him. He had broken rule #3, insulting your girlfriend. Even if it was unintentional.

"What the?" he suddenly asked. "No Kim! I didn't mean it like that! I was just… and you were… oh come on this isn't fair! I'm sorry Kim I wasn't-"

He was silenced when there was a sudden blur of red hair, as Kim turned around quicker than anyone could have imagined, and planted a kiss on her totally freaked out boyfriends lips. It only lasted a few seconds however, as neither of them were willing to risk being punished for Mr. Barkin's 'no public affection' policy. As the pair broke their kiss, Ron was still dumbstruck, staring into the eyes of his amused girlfriend.

"Oh Ron," she giggled. "You are so easy."

"Aww Kim that isn't fair," he whined. "You can't just go around scaring me like that. How come there aren't any girlfriend rules that you need to follow?"

"Silly Ronnie, because I'm a girl," she answered playfully as she continued walking to their first class of the day.

It took a couple of seconds for him to follow her. "Yeah, well… I still think it's totally unfair," he mumbled to himself.

As Kim continued walking down the hall chatting with Ron, she received a stiff elbow to her side from one of the many bypassing students. Her attention on Ron was broken as she looked to see who had hit her, only to see her raven-haired friend Monique grinning right back at her.

"Hey guys. What's up with you two today?"

"Oh nothing, business as usual," Kim smiled back.

"So where are you two headed?"

"P.E," Kim and Ron answered simultaneously.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" Kim said suddenly in the direction of Ron.

"That's where I was headed too. Well before I spotted you and decided to knock around the great Kim Possible that is."

"Remind me to thank you for that later."

Then Monique raised an eyebrow. "And might I just add, wow, you two are totally in sync. Normally it takes couples a bit more than three months before they start saying the same things like that. It's going to be so cute when you start finishing each others sentences!"

"More like tweebish."

"Oh come on Kim, it won't be that bad!" Ron said reassuringly.

"To be like Jim and Tim?" she asked. "How could that be anything _but_ bad?"

"You could do worse than being super-intelligent twins," Monique chimed in.

"She's right Kim," Ron added. "Despite the fact that they may be annoying at times, they do have plenty of good qualities."

Kim sighed in defeat. "Okay, so you two are right on this rare occasion. Now can we get going now? I don't want to be late for the first class of the year."

The trio began walking once more to the gym, all the while talking and laughing about any topic that came up. At that moment they seemed unstoppable. Senior year was going to be good.

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"…And this is why it is essential that you have three black ink pens with you at all times while attending my classes," Mr. Barkin finished explaining to the class.

Somehow, someway, it had happened again. They were stuck with Mr. Barkin teaching them again for another year. The regular teacher for their world geography course had decided to go visit the many places she had once taught about, and had quit only days before the first day of school. This left Middleton High short on faculty, with only one quick solution. Mr. Barkin was like a utility player in baseball; he could teach nearly every class, at any time during the year. No one knew quite how he was so capable of doing it, especially on short notice. But he was nothing short of an effective teacher, even if his method did involve scaring his students into doing their work.

This is what Kim and Ron were enduring during their last class together, trying not to be bored by the monotone droning of Barkin. Kim hid it very well, making eye contact with the man, and looking generally interested in what he had to say. No one would ever suspect that she was thinking about a new kung fu strategy based on a cuddle buddy named Gorilligator. In fact if she were asked a question about the lecture, she would probably even be able to put together a plausible answer. It was just part of being her.

Ron however, was a completely different story. His head was propped up against his hand, with his arm resting on his desk. His eyes were fluttering open and closed as he tried desperately to stay awake. His mouth hung open, with a bit of drool beginning to form by his lower lip. The only thing on his mind was how much time was left in the class. He couldn't bear listening to this boring speech any longer. Every thirty seconds or so he would gaze up at the wall mounted clock, hoping against hope that the bell would ring. But this was a horrible strategy, looking at the clock too often could make time seem to move even slower.

Barkin seemed to notice the situation Ron was in.

"Mr. Stoppable," he called out to Ron. "Would you care to repeat the five rules of locating mountain ranges on maps while attending this class?"

Ron found himself suddenly wide awake and totally oblivious to what was going on. He looked over to his right to Kim for help, but she only managed a shrug. It wasn't as if she could repeat what Mr. Barkin had said right now. Ron was on his own to answer the ex-military mans question.

"Uh… look for the pictures of mountains on the map five times?"

Barkin's face clenched as he bent the ruler he was holding in his hand, nearly snapping it in two. "Stoppable! Detention! Today!"

Ron could only sigh as he hung his head a bit lower than usual. "Yeah yeah. I know the room."

"As you should Stoppable. It amazes me that after all the time we have spent together, you still somehow manage to find ways to get detention from me."

"Hey, whoa!" Ron protested. "Most of those times are so not my fault. I know you're out to get me, and it's been that way since the funny look incident! You said it yourself when we got stuck together."

"That's TWO days of detention now Stoppable!" he yelled. "Would you care to make it three?"

"Is that a real question, or rhetorical one Mr. B?"

"THREE DAYS!"

"Aww man!"

At the moment Kim felt so sorry for Ron. It was true, Barkin had been out to get Ron most of their time in high school. And Ron was aware of this as well. In fact, he's the one who had come up with the theory. So he should know not to get on Barkin's bad side, even if what he says doesn't seem so bad. There was no telling how he would respond to some of the statements and questions Ron said. Today was just another example of this. In a way, much of the detention Ron got he brought upon himself.

And with that the bell rang, and they would be off to their final classes of the day. Ron had health class, while Kim had Shakespearean literature. It would be one of the few times during the day the two would be separated.

"See you after school," Kim said softly, as the two drifted apart from each other after a simple embrace that no one could get in trouble from.

"How about Bueno Nacho after my detention?"

"Absolutely. Meet me at my place okay?"

"Sounds good KP."

The two walked their separate ways, neither seemingly affected by the events that had taken place in the classroom. They had each other. A little bit of detention would not, could not, destroy the happiness they had by being a couple.

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The parking lot always looked the same. Though different colored cars were in different spaces from day to day, nothing ever seemed different about it. It was a shame that Kim didn't own one of them.

After school she began her normal trek home, only this time without Ron. What a shame it was that he had detention for the next three days. It would make the walks home boring. It wasn't as if they were very long walks, but without Ron they seemed that way. They had been walking to and from school together for years. This was different though. Just as the parking lot always seemed the same, this was just somehow different from all the other times. Then it hit her and it was so obvious. She wasn't walking home without her friend. She was walking home without her boyfriend.

She was however familiar with walking without him. A student like Ron had more than his fair share of "sick" days. Kim knew that the majority of those weren't actually true. Over the years Ron had become a master of convincing his parents he was sick… sick of school was more like it.

As she strode throughout the parking lot, she discovered a car that looked very familiar in the jumble of colors and styles. It was one she had seen many times before. It could only belong to one person.

Josh Mankey.

Upon seeing her, Josh waved his arm, gesturing her to come over. Kim was more than delighted to see her friend and ex-boyfriend. They had broken things off on good terms almost immediately after their first and only date. It was mutual; both just weren't convinced that things felt right concerning the relationship. And Kim couldn't be happier about it. If she were still with Josh then she never would have gotten together with Ron.

"What's up Kim?" Josh said as she reached his car.

"Nothing much, Josh. Just walking home, the usual stuff. So how have you been?"

Josh's face filled with pride. "Oh things are great for me. You know how I got in that art school at Upperton?" Kim nodded. "I just found out today that they're going to have one of my favorite artists working there as a special guest instructor. Can you believe it?"

"That's wonderful!" she smiled. "I always knew that things would work out well for you Josh. You have so much talent, and it's great to see that it won't be going to waste."

"Yeah, so I was thinking we should go out and celebrate! You know, like old times."

"Old times?" Kim asked. "What old times?"

"Remember the thing with the restaurant and the movie and the other movie and stuff?"

"You mean our date?"

"Yeah that's the word!" he exclaimed. "Like that date. It will be fun, just you and me."

Kim's smile turned to a frown. "Sorry Josh I would love to celebrate with you, just not like that. I'm going out with Ron now."

"Ron?" Josh asked, just a bit puzzled. "Ron… oh you mean that Ron Reager guy? Wow I never pictured you would go for a guy like him. Not exactly what I would call a catch, but then again what do I know."

"Oh, no I meant Ron Stoppable," she corrected him. "You know, my best friend since pre-k?"

It was Josh's turn to frown now. "Wait, you're actually going out with Stoppable? May I ask why?"

"What do you mean why? He's a great guy who cares about me and is always there when I need him. And I'm always there when he needs me. And while the latter may occur just a bit more, we're not keeping score."

"Still though Kim, don't you think you could do a little better than Stoppable? Say a guy like me?" Josh asked.

"We already tried that. If you'll remember, it didn't work out too well."

Josh was visibly frustrated. "Well yeah, if you take into account the fact that you were afraid of getting embarrassed and disappearing on me."

"And guess who it was that saved me?" Kim asked. "It was Ron."

"Still though Kim, look at the guy. He's a C student at best. He's not going to college, he's lazy, he talks to rodents… face it Kim, this guy's a loser."

"Do not call him a loser."

Josh put his hands in the air defensively. "Whoa Kim sorry. I'm just saying that there are better guys out there than him. Guys who will be able to provide for their families in the future, guys with talent and ambition. Guys like me."

Kim opened her mouth as to speak again, but was cut off by Josh.

"Look I don't need a decision now. But I'm going to come back in a couple days and see if you feel the same way. If you do I won't bother you and Stoppable anymore. But Kim, I think you should just give us another chance. Think about it, it makes sense."

With that Josh drove off, leaving Kim in stunned silence. She could hardly believe what had just happened. How dare he come back to her school out of the blue and ask her out. They hadn't spoken to each other from the past two or three months. And even once she did tell him that she was dating Ron, Josh went and insulted him like that. Looking around, Kim was relieved to see that she was alone. No one else had seen what had just occurred, meaning she wouldn't have to explain this ugly mess to anyone.

At least that's what a certain brunette wanted her to think.

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Bueno Nacho was supposed to be a safe haven. A place where Kim and Ron could go and be at peace with each other and the world. They had good food, and the most comfortable unpadded booths of any fast food place in Middleton. So why didn't it seem that way today? What was wrong? Of course she knew, she just didn't want to admit it.

"So anyway Kim," Ron continued. Seeing how I was the only kid who managed to get detention on the first day back, it was just me and Barkin. And he was not happy about it. The entire time he was sitting there looking all angry and stuff, like this is somehow my fault."

"Well Ron you have to admit, the first day of detention kind of was your fault," Kim countered.

"Explain with two facts to support your argument."

"Okay, weird. One, you weren't paying attention at all during class today."

"Can you blame me?" he asked. "That had to be one of the most boring classes in the history of classes."

"Either way Ron, you really need to not doze off like that, especially with Barkin. The other fact, you could have at least tried to answer his question. Not say 'look for mountains five times'."

"Kim Kim Kim… paying attention in school is so not what the Ron-man does. I mean this is senior year! This is the time to relax, to slack, to just not care!"

"And this would be different from your previous three years of high school how?" she smiled between bites of her salad.

"I'm just saying this is our last chance to just not do anything before we get out there into the real world. By the way, what's with the lack of nacos on your part?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I just felt like I needed a change today."

Change…

"I don't know Kim, you shouldn't change when you know you have a sure thing. A thing like the naco. You can always rely on it to be both delicious and nutritious. Just look at all the stuff in there: beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onions…"

As Ron continued listing the ingredients of his creation, the word change stuck in her head. Her thoughts immediately turned to Josh and what he had said. Was he right about Ron? Just a few moments ago Ron had shown his attitude towards school and his future. Kim knew he was lazy, but she thought he would be okay. That's what teenagers are anyway, they're lazy. So was Ron right where he was supposed to be, or should Kim be more concerned?

And if Josh was right about that, was it possible he was right about other things as well? They hadn't really had a chance to connect thanks in part to Dr. Drakken and the fact that if she got too embarrassed she would disappear. Her whole night was ruined by that. She was more occupied with fighting evil than spending time with her date. What if Josh was not only good, but better than Ron? No. She would not even go there. How could anyone possibly be better than Ron?

"…And that is why you should always stand by your naco," Ron finished.

"Wow, that was just, wow," Kim stammered, not really knowing what to say. Partly because she didn't quite know how to respond to a speech about the excellence of nacos, and also due to the fact that she had her mind focused on other things.

"So anyway," Ron continued as he took another bite of his naco. "Enough about me. How were things without me after school. I hope the walk home wasn't too boring."

"Oh… no don't worry. Things were great. Everything's great. You're great." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She didn't exactly like the idea of kissing chewed up naco.

"I'm great?" he said after swallowing. "It's been a while since anyone has told me that. What's the special occasion Kim?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted you to know it. You're great, and can do great things."

Ron looked confused. "Okay so when did this meal turn into a pep talk? I appreciate the encouragement and all, but where is all this coming from?"

"No where. I just thought you should know how much you mean to me."

Was she trying to convince him of that, or herself?

"Well thanks Kim. I think you're great too. But you don't need me to tell you that. I mean, you're the one winning medals and all for saving important people and stuff.

The rest of the meal went on as normal. Well, almost normal. There was a feeling that Kim could just not shake. Sometimes when Ron spoke it would be there annoying her. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it.

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Kim had been a mess the past couple of days. She could trace it all back to one incident, one encounter. It was with her ex Josh. His words had gotten to her. Her mind was full of doubt. Was it doubt? Or was it fear. She didn't quite know how to distinguish the two.

Here were the facts.

She was going out with her best friend turned boyfriend. They had a wonderful time when they were together. He was a wonderful person, but a flawed person as well. What was he going to do with his life? He had never really put much thought into it. What if because of his laziness he got held back? How embarrassing would that be to have her boyfriend not graduate with her? And perhaps most importantly, what if something happened that ruined what they had; what they have had since they were little kids? Could she really do better?

Kim mused over these questions as she began walking home again. She knew that Josh would be here again as he said back on Monday. He was the boy who she had had a crush on for so long before Ron. What would she say to him? She didn't even know the answer to that question herself. She almost didn't want to talk to Josh today just so she could have more time to think over these questions some more. She silently cursed when she heard his voice.

"Kim!"

She looked up to see Josh waving at her, this time standing outside of his car. The thought came to her mind that she could always ignore him and walk away. She could just say she didn't notice him. That would work right? Nope, he knew she knew. There was only one thing left to do. Taking a deep breath, Kim began walking on a path toward him.

"Hey Kim, what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing much," she said, her eyes looking at her shoes. "Just you know, going home."

"That's cool. So have you given any thought to what we talked about the other day?"

"Oh that. A little," she lied. "Look Josh, you're really great and all but…"

Josh took the opportunity to gently lift her chin up so that he could look into her eyes.

"Kim, you know we would be great together. It's no secret that you liked me through most of high school. I really think we should give a relationship another chance. We're both older and more mature now. What do you say?"

"I don't know…"

Kim was cut off when Josh placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It didn't last very long, and left Kim with a look of doubt on her face. Doubt was soon replaced by desire as she returned the gesture. The second kiss lasted much longer and contained much more passion.

In that moment Kim knew what she wanted. Old emotions had been reawakened. She wanted Josh. It just felt so right to her. Right in a way that Ron never made her feel before.

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Wednesdays could be seen as one of the worst days of the week, after Monday that is. Two days removed from the weekend and two days away from the next, Wednesday just sits in the middle. At least that's how Ron Stoppable looked at it. It didn't help matters that today he had detention. It was his last day of it, maybe no one would notice if he skipped. It was a big school after all, who would notice if little old Ron was missing from the room after school? Of course not! This way he could surprise Kim and hang out with her even more.

As he strode through the halls he heard a familiar voice, one he didn't particularly enjoy hearing.

"Hey loser!"

Ron turned around to see the mocking form of Bonnie Rockwaller.

"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked! You're like trained to respond to that name or something."

"Does this conversation have a point Bonnie?" he asked.

Bonnie scoffed. "Um, hello? Everything I do has a point Stoppable. In fact I don't even know why I'm bothering to do you this favor."

"Favor?" he asked as he leaned against the lockers ready to hear the latest of Bonnie's rambling. "Why would you possibly want to do me a favor?"

A sinister smile formed on her face. "Well let's just say it will be mutually beneficial. Do you know where Kim was on Monday?"

"Yeah. With me. Like I said, does this have a point?"

"Before that loser. She was outside flirting with Josh Mankey." Now she decided it was time to lie a bit. "You know she's been doing this for weeks now, right?"

"Yeah. Right Bonnie. Like I'm supposed to believe you."

"In fact Stoppable, she's out there with him again right now. It wouldn't surprise me if they started making out right here by the school. We all know that you could never replace a guy like Josh."

"Sorry Bon Bon," he smiled. "Not falling for it."

"Hey believe me if you want. I just think it would be best for you to go defend your woman, even if you totally don't deserve her."

Ron's tone turned to one close to anger. "Don't talk about Kim like she's property. And besides, you of all people should know that we're going out. Mankey is out of the picture."

"Whatever," she huffed. "Anyway I have better things to do than stand here and talk to someone like you."

Ron could only look on as Bonnie walked past him to wherever her destination was. But it didn't matter to Ron much. He was on his way out and would hopefully catch up with Kim before she got home. As he pushed the doors open to the student parking lot, what he saw, and heard, shocked him.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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Ron hit the ground as he collapsed back through the doorway. His head was spinning. What was that? What had he just seen? Surely something must not be right. Maybe Josh was giving Kim CPR in some kind of rare still standing up fainting episode. Or maybe they were practicing for a play. But what play? There was no play and he knew that. But these were the only logical explanations to the event he had just seen. Anything else would be both beyond sick and wrong, and beyond wrong sick. There was just no word in his vocabulary to describe what had just taken place.

Ron picked himself up and dusted his pants off. A few of the students loitering in the halls chuckled lightly at his sudden collapse. They had not seen what he had. Still in a daze he began to walk down the hall with no particular destination in mind. His mind had seemingly gone blank. This continued for the next couple of minutes as he tried to piece together in his mind what the situation was. And then it hit him.

Betrayal.

He had been betrayed. He had been intentionally hurt by someone he loved. Kim had cheated on him. With monkey boy no less. And according to Bonnie it had been going on for weeks. He didn't want to believe it before. But now he honestly could believe it. She was right about the two of them being outside making out right now. So it would only make sense that she was right about the other thing too. For weeks, Kim had been cheating on him! He could only imagine the other things she had done with Josh behind his back all this time.

Ron clenched his fists in anger at the very thought of it. He wasn't about to feel sorry for himself though, and he wasn't going to cry over this. He had every right to be angry. And he was. Normally Ron was very laid back and relaxed. Very few things in the world got to him. This was one of them.

They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. According to Ron's account, this was the third time Josh Mankey had struck between him and Kim. The first was the janitor's closet during the dance, and the second was the time he risked his life to go get the flower which would keep Kim from disappearing. The audacity of Kim to do this again, while they were still dating! Ron was not a happy man. And it showed in him physically.

Observers would later claim it was a trick of the light. But as Ron walked down the halls, now with a sense of purpose, people could have sworn that his eyes were flashing blue on and off for split seconds. No one stood in his path. He walked taller and more aggressively than anyone had ever seen him before. He had never felt so angry before in his life.

One student in particular had the unfortunate accident of getting in his way.

"Move it kid!" he shouted as he grabbed a student by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the lockers. The victim just sank to the ground, too afraid to get up immediately.

He was not the only person to get in Ron's way.

In front of Ron now stood a large, barrel-chested man in a brown suit. A man who had seen what had just taken place. He was not happy about it. At least they had something in common now.

"Stoppable! What do you think you're doing!" Mr. Barkin screamed.

"I'm not in the mood right now," Ron retorted, his eyes never making contact with his teachers.

"First you have the gall to skip MY detention, and then this? Fighting on school grounds? Stoppable as of this moment you are SUSPENDED!"

Ron didn't respond as he pushed past Mr. Barkin. He didn't particularly care either. He had never been suspended before though. Ron may have been lazy and a class clown, but he was not the kind of trouble maker that received this kind of punishment. At least not until today. So now he had something new to add to his resume: fighting. One thing people at Middleton High School would have never thought he would get in trouble for. Ron was seen as weak and pitiful. He wasn't a bully, nor was he the type who would be involved with any outside forms of violence. He was just Ron. Was, is the key word.

All he wanted to do now was to go home. He wanted to sleep. Video games, Bueno Nacho, TV, those things just didn't seem too important to him right now. And he didn't even want to think about what he was going to say to Kim. He knew it would come up eventually. The two had been close for so long that barely a day went by when they didn't talk on the phone, let alone see each other in person. At least he would have the option to ignore her for the next few days thanks to his suspension.

And just how was he going to explain that to his parents? It wasn't as if he could just say to them, 'Oh hey mom and dad. Just wanted to let you know I got suspended today because I slammed a kid against the lockers'. They expected more from him. They knew he was better than that. Besides all of that, they probably wouldn't believe that he was capable of inflicting physical harm on anyone. On missions he served as a distraction, not a fighter. That was Kim's job.

Right now, he didn't want to have anything to do with her. He didn't want to risk running into her on his way home, so he took another path. It was a longer route. One could call it the more scenic route. Ron shook his head as he realized he had used a phrase Kim had once told him a long time ago. To make matters worse, it was a phrase that she had used as an excuse to go see Josh. He wondered to himself how many excuses she had been making lately. How long had this been going on behind his back? He didn't want to imagine the answer to that. What if she had been cheating on him with Josh all along, and he just never noticed it?

At least it was nice out though. It was a breezy summer day in Middleton Colorado, and the sun was shining brightly. It was perfect except for the fact that he had found out his girlfriend was cheating on him. Strangely enough Rufus had not awoken from his fall a few minutes earlier. Ron managed to form a smile on his face at that thought. When the little guy sleeps, he sleeps heavily and for a long time. That was one of the many things that the two had in common. And very soon, he would have his sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was feeling awful. The entire way home she had thought about what she had done. She thought about what she had let Josh do to her. What she had done back. It was wrong, right? Of course it was. She was with Ron after all. And now she was with Josh. That meant she had to break up with Ron. The very thought of not being with Josh at this moment seemed rebellious to her.

Another thought crossed her mind. What if someone had seen her? Chances are someone had. It was only natural in a high school of that size other people would be around. And she was famous after all. Everyone in the school knew who she was, and knew she was dating Ron. That thought sent a chill down her spine. What if someone told Ron about it? She decided that she couldn't take the risk of letting someone else tell him before she did. She had to tell Ron, and hope he would forgive her. That was the right thing to do, wasn't it?

She wanted this in a primal way. That was the part of her that felt that Josh was so much better than Ron, the part that thought that being wish Josh was the right thing to do. Maybe she could break up with Ron and still be friends with him while going out with Josh. That would work, right? She tried to shake her head clear of the racing thoughts in her mind. If Ron were to find things out on his own he might take it the wrong way. He might get his own ideas of what was going on and react in a bad way. He did tend to do that after all.

So she decided that she must do things her own way. She would tell Ron that she still had feelings for Josh, but she was hopeful that it wouldn't interfere with their friendship. Ron would understand. He was always there to support her after all. They had been friends for the past twelve years or so. Surely it wouldn't be that hard to go back to the way things were. Surely this wouldn't be something that would tear them apart. She was placing a lot of faith in the latter. What else could she do?

She picked up the phone and dialed Ron's number. It was absolutely nerve-wracking. If not for the current situation it would be funny. She was terrified of talking to the person she had been friends with for so long. She figured that love did that sometimes. Love was so complicated.

After an unordinary amount of rings, someone finally answered.

"Hello," Ron's voice said. It was utterly lacking in emotion.

"Hey Ron, what's up?" Kim asked trying to keep her voice level.

"The sky."

"The sky?"

"You asked what was up," he stated flatly. "So I told you."

"Oh. Good one Ron," she laughed nervously. "Listen I need to talk to you about something. Can you meet me at Bueno Nacho in about twenty minutes?"

There was silence on the other end for the next few moments. Kim wondered if he was still even there.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Yeah. Twenty minutes sounds good."

"Are you okay Ron? You don't sound too well."

"Yeah. Never better," he lied.

"Okay Ron. Well, I'll see you then. Bye."

Ron hung up without saying another word. It didn't worry Kim too much though. Maybe he was sick. Either way it would be good to talk to him about everything that had been on her mind. He would understand. He had to. He was Ron after all. She could always count on him to be there for her. And all she needed of him right now was to be there for her and Josh. Surely that wasn't too much to expect from her best friend, right?

XXXXXXXXXX

This was it.

Kim sat at her and Ron's favorite booth waiting on his arrival. This for her was the point of no return. She was going to end her relationship with Ron. She couldn't in good conscious continue going out with him if she still had these feelings for Josh after all. She had decided that this was the right thing to do.

She saw Ron push open the door and enter the restaurant. But he didn't seem like his usual happy and confident self. His shoulders slumped slightly and his eyes looked to be filled with what seemed to be sadness. She once more thought to herself that he must be sick. Hopefully this news wouldn't make him worse in any way.

"Hi Ron," she said as cheerfully as possible.

"Hey," he grunted back.

"So Ron, there's this important thing that I need to tell you. Do you want to order anything first?"

"Nah. Not hungry."

"_Yep, definitely sick,"_ Kim thought to herself. What else could explain his sudden lack of appetite?

"Anyway," she continued. "I asked you to come here because there's something we need to talk about. It involves us."

"I figured as much."

"Yeah. But it's not just us. You remember Josh right?"

"Oh yeah. How could I forget monkey boy?" he asked sarcastically.

"Please don't call him monkey boy Ron."

"Why not? I think it's clever. His name is only one letter away from monkey. And I hate monkeys. It works, don't you think?"

"I think we're getting a bit off track here."

"No Kim, I think we're perfectly on track," Ron said harshly. "I know why you asked me here today."

Kim swallowed hard. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do. I saw everything. And I must say you're a real class act Kim."

"Ron, wait-"

"How about no, Kim. I don't know what the heck you were thinking, but it really hurt. If that was your mission for today then congratulations, you succeeded."

"My mission? Ron it isn't like that at all."

"I mean, I get that I may not be perfect. But to go around cheating on me like that is really low. How long has it been going on? Since we started dating?"

"I didn't cheat on-"

"It's funny that Bonnie seems to be a better friend than you when it came to all this. At least she was honest with me. Unlike you, who has been going around with Josh for weeks now behind my back. She told me everything."

Kim was beginning to get angry herself. "Now wait just a minute Ron. If you're going to sit here and accuse me of these kinds of things-"

"What? You're just going to deny them anyway. Your words have no credibility anymore as far as I'm concerned."

"Well maybe if you weren't so immature in the first place I wouldn't be having these feelings for Josh."

"That's a load of crap and you know it. You never stopped having feelings for Josh. I was just a replacement. I was just so happy when you went out with me, I didn't realize it. And you're trying to tell me this is my fault?"

"Yeah Ron, it kind of is. Maybe if you would take things in life more seriously and try harder in school I wouldn't be looking for someone else."

"You mean cheat on me. Did you sleep with him too?"

"Ron you are way out of line!" she nearly screamed at him. "I came here to try and save our friendship and you're on the way to ruining it."

"Me ruin it?" he laughed. "Sorry Kim, you already did that when you decided to go sleeping around with Josh."

Slap.

Kim was visibly angry as she sat back down in the booth after delivering a hard slap to Ron's cheek.

"I did not sleep with him. Don't you ever accuse me of doing something like that ever again Ron!" she yelled. "I am not some cheap tramp like Bonnie."

"You might as well have slept with him. Looks like I hit a little too close to home with that comment. And you don't need to worry about that Kim," he stood up. "Because you and me? Our friendship is over. If you want to throw away twelve years of friendship over monkey boy there, go right ahead. I don't need this. Screw him, and screw you."

Kim didn't have anything to say as she watched Ron walk out of Bueno Nacho. A few people around who had overheard the conversation silently stared at her for a few moments before going back to eating their own food. Kim on the other hand just buried her head in her hands. This had so not gone the way she had hoped it would.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron got home once more and was still incredibly angry. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Kim was actually hoping to give an excuse for what she had done. She had hoped to use him, then dump him when Mankey came back into the picture. Ron decided only moments after he saw the two of them making out that he would not take that. He had been abused all of his life by bullies. He refused to be hurt in that way by the person he trusted most in the world.

That is what hurt him the most. That she actually expected him to step aside once more for monkey boy. The fact that it seemed like he didn't matter to her at all when there was a pretty face in the picture was just a kick to the gut for Ron. And that's exactly what happened. She expected things to just go back to the way they had been before. Before he had realized he was in love with her, and before he thought she loved him back. But there was no going back for the pair of teen heroes. There would only be the hard, rocky steps forward from this point on.

Rufus tried, but could do little to help Ron. Nothing he said or did seemed to have much effect. While sulking in the living room Ron heard the door open and his father walked in. This was something he certainly was not expecting.

"Dad?" he asked. "What are you doing home so early?"

"Oh good Ronald you're here," his father replied. "I have some big news."

"What's up?"

"Well, your mother was offered a fantastic new job in Upperton today, and she took it! We already bought a house there, so we're moving tomorrow!"

Ron was at a loss for words. "Uh… wow. That's really all I can say."

"It's exciting isn't it?"

"Wouldn't something this big take more time than just a day? What about our house?"

"Oh don't worry about that. This house is already on the market for potential buyers. It's amazing how fast transactions can work these days."

"So dad… she just took the job, no consulting either of us at all?"

_Wonderful. Again._

"Well Ronald, love is strange like that. She knows that I know that she has our best interests at heart. And she had to make a decision right then and there, and I feel she made the right one. I'm sure that's how it is with you and Kim."

Ron didn't respond immediately. He was struggling for something to say, so he chose an old phrase he was very familiar with.

"Yeah dad. No big."

It turned out to be a bad choice. Ron silently swore for his poor choice in words. It was a phrase commonly used by Kim. But he had heard it so much, and used it himself on occasions as well. It was just common to his vocabulary. He would have to make sure the phrase was removed immediately.

"You should start getting packed now. The movers are coming in a few minutes to start getting everything out of the house."

"Uh… sure dad. I'll get right to that."

Ron made his way upstairs and began packing his things. It was so sudden. How the heck did his dad expect them to all move the next day? It was true lunacy. But right now he didn't really care about how it was all possible. He had bigger things on his mind. Bigger to him at least. There was one good thing about the pending move. He would be away from Kim, and all of the stuff that would be going on at Middleton High School. That in itself was something that made him feel good.

XXXXXXXXXX

What a jerk.

That's all Kim could come up with as she sat alone in her room contemplating what had just occurred.

Ron Stoppable was being a jerk.

More than just that. He was unreasonable. He was supposed to be happy for her. And yet he had reacted like she had done something horrible to him. As Kim thought about it, it really wasn't that horrible. People have feelings for other people all the time. They act on them occasionally too. This just happened to be one of those instances.

But why had Ron reacted like that? Why was he so hostile toward the whole thing? It was a side of him that she had never witnessed before in her life. Ron was supposed to be kind and understanding. He was supposed to be supportive in any endeavor she took part in. And this was a massive one to be sure. And what did he do? Accused her of sleeping with Josh. Where was he getting that information from? Surely he didn't honestly think of her that way. After knowing each other for so many years, he had to think more highly of her than that. Something was very wrong, and Kim knew it.

But what could she do about it? After the scene they had made at Bueno Nacho she couldn't just call him and ask him what was wrong. She thought she was scared to call him before. Now the very thought of hearing his voice petrified her. His eyes were so filled with anger when he spoke before. Tomorrow would be a difficult day. They had many classes together. Somehow, someway, she would need to find a way to get through the rest of the semester with him. She wanted to make things right, but she just didn't know how.

"Ugh. What am I going to do?" she asked herself. "I can't talk to my best friend about it. I can't talk about it with mom and dad. They would totally take his side in all of this. And Monique would yell at me for dumping Ron."

She collapsed onto her bed out of ideas. Maybe she would just go to bed early tonight. There was nothing on TV she wanted to watch, and she hadn't gotten much homework today. The assignments she had gotten she already did in school. So sleep seemed like a good option. After all, she couldn't be in pain when she was asleep.

That's when it hit her that she was in pain. She felt alone. Considering all of Ron's faults, he did have that way of making her feel safe and secure. It had become especially apparent after they had started dating. But at the same time, she just didn't know if she had real feelings for him, or just a very deep friendship with him.

Josh on the other hand she felt like she could spend the rest of her life with. Of course they hadn't spent a whole lot of time together with their lack of dates. In fact the way she found out the most about him was their brief meetings in the hall back when he went to Middleton High. But that was more than enough for her to realize how perfect he was. At least that's how she felt.

Maybe before going to sleep she would call him and set up a date. It would only be their second one ever. That would be a good way to get over her Ron pains. To spend time with a guy who actually supported and understood her. Josh fit that description for sure.

Kim decided at that moment that she didn't need Ron's contempt. If he wanted to feel angry about her true feelings, then so be it. But Kim wasn't about to lay around and be sad because of that. She wasn't going to waste her time feeling bad about her decision and Ron's reaction. She was Kim Possible after all. She had more important things to do.

Suddenly she felt a whole lot better about the whole situation.

Picking up her phone she called up Josh. Talking to him would be a wonderful way to end the day.

"Hey," Josh answered nonchalantly.

"Hi Josh!" she said excitedly.

He was caught a bit off guard. "Oh. What's up Kim?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to go out on Friday."

"Yeah sure. Sounds good. I'll pick you up at seven."

The two didn't talk for long after that. Josh had surprisingly little to say, but Kim was just loaded with stuff she wanted to discuss. Of course the subject of Ron had not come up once during the conversation. As far as Kim was concerned there was nothing to say. She knew that eventually he would come to his senses and accept what had happened. It wasn't as if Kim had done this out of malice. Talking with Josh made everything just seem okay.

One thing was for sure on this evening. Kim's emotions were a complete mess. She was going from angry, to sad, to happy in a matter of seconds. She was very confused with everything regarding the whole situation. But in her heart, she knew that soon everything would be back to normal. It just had to.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone for their interest in the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

The school smelled weird.

That was the first thing that came to Ron's mind as he entered the halls of his new school in Upperton. There was a very distinct smell to it. Of course it would be different from his school back in Middleton, but Ron was just surprised at the astounding difference. It smelled cleaner and fresher. It made him think of a fresh opportunity. Here he could become a whole new man, with no past to haunt him. No old memories, no people who knew him. Here he could be himself and maybe be accepted.

But most importantly, there was no Kim.

There would be no more Kim to treat him like a lapdog. No more Kim to take their friendship for granted. No more Kim to stick up for him. But if Ron had it his way there would be no need for anyone to stick up for him. With a chance for a fresh start, maybe he could become popular. Maybe he could have more friends than just Kim, Felix, and a naked mole rat. Not that Rufus was a bad friend by any stretch of the imagination. But Ron did desire more human contacts.

The halls were bustling with students at their lockers preparing to go to their next classes. Ron had just come from the office where he received his schedule, and was at the moment en route to his new Geography class. At least there would be no Barkin this time. That was a major relief as far as he was concerned. His scourge at Middleton High could no longer hurt him. And it felt so good to know.

The halls were becoming less and less filled as each second passed. Ron knew he had better hurry up or else he would be late for his first class. First impressions were an important thing, and he wanted to make sure he was on time. He could not afford to have any more teachers out to get him. So he walked down the hall searching for the classroom, unaware of the students coming up behind him.

"Hey you," one of them said.

Ron turned around to see a large senior standing there with a frown on his face. By his side was a smaller student, a wicked grin spread across his features. Both of them were looking Ron directly in his eyes, with malevolence in their own.

"You gotta pay the toll," the larger student said.

"Uh, what toll?" Ron asked, obviously confused.

"Hey he don't know about the toll," the smaller one cackled with delight. "Tell him about the toll Steve."

"Well see kid, every new guy walking down our hall has to pay a toll. That's the way things work around here. So pay up."

"Uh sorry Steve," Ron began. "I really need to be getting to class right now."

It felt weird for Ron to be so focused on school.

"Hey Steve he don't wanna pay the toll!" the small one squealed.

"I heard him Kevin, shut up!" Steve said raising a fist to his smaller friend, forcing him to shrink away in fear.

Ron leaned against one of the lockers as he spoke.

"Well you see, even if I did want to pay your little toll, I don't have any money on me. So it looks like you're just going to have to let me go."

"No can do kid," Steve said as he cracked his knuckles. "Looks like we're gonna have to teach you to remember your money."

Ron remembered the fact that he was here for a fresh start. If he didn't do something to stop the current situation from unfolding, he would be treated the same way here as he was back in Middleton. He could not, would not, become the prey of bullies and thugs any longer. He had to take a stand.

"No no, that's perfectly okay," Ron said putting his hands up, trying to ward off the threat of violence. "Because the thing is, you're never going to get any money from me. Screw your toll, that's just how I roll. Whoa I rhymed."

"Well that's a shame, because that means I have to go do this!"

Steve took a long swing at Ron who was barely able to duck under the swing, leaving nothing but the hard metal locker to cushion the blow from Steve's fist. Steve began to shake his fist in pain as Kevin entered the fray.

Kevin being even shorter than Ron, jumped on Ron's back attempting to claw away at his face. It didn't take much for Ron to pry Kevin's arms off of him, and shove him to the floor. But Kevin was never meant to do any serious damage, only distract Ron until Steve was once again ready to fight.

Ron didn't notice the second of Steve's punches coming as it connected with Ron's cheek, forcing him to stumble back into the lockers.

It was a big mistake.

Ron Stoppable who had taken abuse from both enemies and friends was once more put into a position where it was either stand up for himself, or be reduced to a loser once more. The latter was unthinkable at this point in his life. While neither of the two bullies noticed, Ron's eyes flashed blue for a fraction of a second as pure angry coursed through him. He would not just stand by and take a punch like that. Never again.

Ron ducked a third punch from Steve, this time delivering a fierce fist of his own into the bullies gut. Steve doubled over in pain, his eyes wide in shock at the amount of force behind someone as scrawny as Ron was. Ron didn't let up though, as he took another swing this time connecting with Steve's nose.

Blood began to drip down from his face as Steve was forced up against the lockers on the other side of the hall, his hands clutching his nose. Ron however, was still not ready to let up. Seemingly out of no where, Ron walked over to Steve and delivered a hard kick with his right leg into the gut of the thug. He finished up the assault with a left hook to the jaw, leaving the supposed tough guy on his backside leaning against the lockers. Kevin could only look on in horror as Ron walked away from the fight.

The few students who had been in the hall when the fight began were also in shock. They had never seen such a beating in the halls of their school before. It was especially surprising that between Steve and a new kid, the new kid had won. For one of the students in particular, it was an impressive showing.

"That was nice," the student said as Ron walked past him.

"What, do you want money too?" Ron asked bitterly.

The kid smiled as he shook his head.

"Not at all. I just think it's awesome what you did back there. The asshole had it coming as far as I'm concerned."

Ron couldn't argue with that.

"Yeah, probably."

"My name's Mike," the student said as he extended an arm to shake Ron's hand.

"Ron," he said back, accepting and shaking the hand.

"So, I take it you're new here."

"Yeah, first day and all."

"Where are you headed?"

"Oh darn!" Ron said suddenly. "I'm late for geography!"

"No worries," Mike said nonchalantly. "Mr. Perkins is always late for class too. He won't know that you're a few minutes late."

"Really? Thanks Mike."

"Yeah that's my next class too. But it never hurts to loiter around in the halls in hope of seeing an asshole get his ass kicked by the new guy. That brings us to an interesting question. Can an asshole have an ass to kick?"

"Uh…" was all that Ron could come up with.

"Oh it doesn't matter anyway. Hey listen after class you need to meet these other two guys. They would love to hear the story of the fight and all that good stuff."

"There's not much to say."

"There's plenty to say. You kicked that guy's ass."

"If you say so," Ron conceded. "Hey shouldn't we be getting to class right now?"

Mike checked his watch and sighed.

"Yeah… I suppose we'd better."

The two walked to their geography class talking about nothing in particular. Ron couldn't suppress the smile on his face as they did. His first day and things were already more exciting than they ever were back in Middleton. He had even made a friend in only the first few minutes of school. Something told Ron that this was going to be a good year, considering everything else that had already occurred the other day.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sitting in geography class, Kim was surprised. She hadn't seen Ron all day. She knew he could be immature about things, but to go as far as to skip school because of their fight? She lightly shook her head at the thought. Didn't he know that he would have to come to school eventually? She couldn't help but think that sometimes Ron just didn't understand life.

If anything this just made the situation worse. Now there was more time to think about what had occurred. Instead of getting it out and the open and handling it like adults, the wounds that were created yesterday had more time to fester. If Ron was at home all day he would probably be thinking about it nonstop, creating more situations in his head that had never occurred. Kim was still in shock about the accusations he had made. Why on earth did he think that she had been cheating on him for weeks?

While she was contemplating these things she didn't realize that Felix had come up next to her.

"Something wrong Kim?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, caught off guard. "Oh, yeah I was just thinking about something."

"Hey, I'm sorry about Ron."

She was surprised Felix had heard anything. She hadn't told anyone of the situation, so it must have been Ron. And usually Ron wasn't the type to go discussing his problems with anyone but her.

"Wait what? What have you heard Felix."

"You know, about the move?"

"What move?"

"You know… how Ron moved to Upperton?"

"He what?" Kim said with no small amount of shock.

"This is the first you're hearing of this?" Felix asked, this time the shock in his voice.

"Yeah. I had no idea Ron moved. Why didn't he tell… oh."

"What's up Kim?"

"It's just, we just had this fight. Kind of big. We kind of broke up."

"Oh," Felix said looking visibly uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

"Did I just hear you say you broke up with Ron?" another voice said.

Kim looked to see Monique enter the classroom and sit down next to her and Felix. She didn't look too happy.

"Yeah Monique," Kim said. "It's hard to explain."

"Why would you go and do something insane like that?"

"Well… like I said it's complicated. I still have these feelings for Josh. And Ron is just Ron. He's not boyfriend material. Just everything about him is so Ronish," the last was laced with a tiny bit of contempt, whether it was intentional or not.

"So where is he?" Monique asked. "He must be taking it hard if he stayed home from school today."

"Actually he moved to Upperton," Felix chimed in.

"No way!" Monique gasped. "Why didn't he tell anyone else?"

"I guess he must have been pretty upset by it all."

"Look, can we talk about this another time?" Kim asked. "Mr. Barkin is coming and I personally don't want detention for talking during class."

"Yeah sure," Monique said.

The rest of the period went by quickly as Kim struggled to pay attention to the lecturing of Mr. Barkin. There was one central thought on her mind the whole time.

Maybe things weren't going to be okay for her and Ron after all.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron had gotten detention plenty of times over the course of his academic career. It was just part of who he was. He was a smartass at times, whether he was trying to be or not. Most of the times teachers interpreted it as planned. But it was a rare occasion that he would be sent to the principals office.

Ron wasn't very surprised though. He had been fighting on school grounds. Or as Mike had put it, 'a major ass whipping'. This should have been expected. And yet it still worried Ron. He did not want to be suspended from his new school on his first day. After he thought about that statement a bit more, he decided he didn't want to be suspended period. He had already gone through that once back in Middleton.

That's when it dawned on him. In the past two days, he had committed physical violence twice. Although the first time was nothing major, this was. He had bloodied another student. He had beaten him when him when the fight was already all but over. Ron Stoppable had become the one who hurt people, rather than the other way around.

And quite frankly, it felt good to him.

He sat in the chair in the office waiting for the principal to enter and do a lecture on why fighting was bad, and he should have just walked away and told a teacher. But Ron wasn't going to care. That's what he had been told all his life. That's what he had done all his life. And where had it gotten him? No where. He was picked on because he never fought back. He had let other people walk all over him. And eventually, even someone he cared about had done so. That was the final straw. That was the breaking point.

Ron saw a tall thin man with long sandy blonde hair enter the room and close the door behind him. He sat in the seat across the desk that Ron was sitting at. In his hand was a bowl which he placed on the desk in front of him. He folded his hands and looked at Ron.

"Now, Mr. Stoppable," he began. "Or can I call you Ron?"

"Ron's fine."

"Ron I'm Principal Atkins. If I'm hearing things correctly around here, today is your first day here at Upperton High School?"

"Yeah," Ron agreed.

"And I also understand that today you got into a bit of a fight."

"Yeah… about that…"

"Now normally we have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to fighting. But some of the witnesses said that Steve started harassing you and you were just defending yourself."

"Sounds about right."

"You seem like a pretty cool cat Ron. So I'm going to let you off with just a warning this time."

"_A cool cat?"_ Ron thought.

"I know it's hard being the new kid in school. I highly recommend you getting involved in some kind of after school club here at school. You know the football season doesn't start for a few more weeks, maybe you can try out for the team."

As Principal Atkins was talking, Ron noticed exactly what was in the bowl. It was filled with mini Reese's peanut butter cups.

"What's with the Reese's cups?" Ron asked.

"Oh, I keep these here for the students I talk with. I feel it helps them 'chill' with me when we talk about all the stuff going on in their lives."

"So these are like, free?"

"Absolutely Ron. Take as many as you want."

"Coolio!"

Ron grabbed a handful and began unwrapping them an popping them into his mouth. Rufus then emerged from his pocket at the smell of unwrapped chocolate. He didn't need to be told twice to dig into the delicious peanut buttery goodness.

"I see that you also have an animal on school grounds. Is this for some kind of project you're working on?"

"No. He's just my buddy."

"Cool Ron. Very cool."

"_This guy totally sounds like a hippy."_ Ron thought to himself.

"So Ron, I feel that if we work together we can guide you on the path to the best high school experience possible for you. How does that sound?"

"Uh…" Ron hesitated. "Okay."

"Great Ron. I feel that you're going to find this year to be a wonderful road on your voyage to find happiness and peace in this world."

"_Yeah. Definitely a hippy," _Ron smiled to himself.

Ron couldn't help but be blown away at how this man was probably the exact opposite of Mr. Barkin in nearly every way. He was nice, understanding, had long hair, and even had free Reese's cups. And to make matters even better, he wasn't even getting in trouble for beating up a kid in the halls earlier in the day.

Something told Ron that everything was going to be okay.

XXXXXXXXXX

The end of the school day came about and Ron began the journey to his locker. It had been an interesting day for sure. One thing he kept in mind was principal Atkin's advice about doing something after school. Considering Ron would no longer be going on any missions, he could use something to occupy his new free time.

Football didn't seem too far out of the question. With his new policy of having a fresh start, maybe football is exactly what he was looking for. It would be totally unlike anything he had ever done before. Of course he was small and wouldn't be able to block or tackle anyone, and he knew that. But if there was one thing Ron knew he could do, it was run. He had done plenty of running and dodging in his days as Kim's sidekick. So he decided he would try and become the runningback for Upperton's team.

As he was getting ready to go home he didn't realize Mike walking up to him, followed by two other students. He tapped Ron on the shoulder.

"Yo Ron," Mike said.

Ron jumped slightly at the sudden touch. He didn't make a sound, but it was obvious to the three students that they had startled Ron.

"Whoa sorry dude. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh. No big Mike."

_Damn it!_

"Hey this is the guy I was telling you about," Mike said to the other two guys. "Ron here beat the crap out of Steve earlier today. It was 'wow worthy'."

"Wow worthy?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. Worthy of me going 'wow'. Oh by the way. This is Nick and Sean. Don't be rude to Ron. Say hi."

"Hey," Nick said.

"Hey," Sean said.

"Wow. That was so original you two," Mike joked.

"Shut up you Bulgarian," Sean said back.

"You first nerd."

"Do they do this often?" Ron whispered to Nick.

"Yeah, they don't mean anything bad by it," Nick replied. "It's just their way of having fun."

"You may not be able to tell just by looking at him, but this kid's a nerd," Mike said referring to Sean. "Every dollar he makes he puts into this massive computer system at his house. It takes up like an entire wall of his room. The stuff he can do with that is incredible."

"Oh. I used to know someone like that," Ron said. "So you're from Bulgaria huh?"

"Yeah I was born there then my family moved here a few years ago."

"I was in Bulgaria once on this mission with-" Ron stopped before he completed the sentence.

"Mission with?" Nick asked.

"Wait a minute, I thought I recognized him!" Mike said. "This is that guy from TV. You know, the one with the hot chick."

"Oh yeah he does look familiar," Sean agreed. "He's that Ron Floppable guy right?"

"I thought his name was Flan Poppable," Nick added.

"_Some things never change,"_ Ron thought to himself with a smile.

"Flan? What kind of name is Flan?" Mike asked. "We already know his name is Ron anyway."

"Flan could be a name!" Nick protested.

"Dude just shut up. You make everyone around you dumber when you talk."

Ron watched in amazement as now Mike and Nick were arguing. In the brief few minutes that he had known the three boys, they had already had two fights. Even if they were only minor playful fights, it was definitely something Ron was not used to.

"So anyway, what ever happened to the hot chick?" Sean asked.

"Yeah, weren't you like, dating her or something?" Mike added.

"Things didn't work out so well between us," Ron sighed.

"Tell us about it. Maybe it will help you feel better."

Ron went over the events that had taken place the other day. His three new friends just stood patiently and listened to every detail, not interrupting the story. Their expressions did change from time to time when Ron hit particularly emotional points. As he finished, he noticed the looks on their faces. They appeared to have much to say on the topic.

"What a bitch," Mike said first.

"Uh huh. Total bitch," Sean agreed.

"I don't know if I would exactly call her that…" Ron said weakly.

"No dude they're right," Nick said. "That chick totally used you. She's a grade A bitch."

"Come on guys I may be mad, but there's really no need to call her that."

"No Ron, there is," Mike stated flatly. "This Kim chick led you along for years, and convinced you that you two were in love and stuff. Then when this other guy comes back she totally dumps you. She treated you like trash. I think what we're calling her is more than justified."

"I don't know…"

"Say it Ron. Say Kim's a bitch."

"But-"

"It's not that hard to say."

"Is it really necessary?"

"Say it!"

"Kim's a bitch."

"Louder!"

"Kim's a bitch," Ron said just a little louder.

"Scream it!"

"Kim's a bitch!" Ron yelled in the empty school hall.

A smile crossed Mike's face.

"There, doesn't that make you feel better?" he asked.

Ron couldn't help but have a smile on his own face. He had to admit it wasn't that bad.

"It did feel good," Ron admitted.

"So what are you doing after school?"

"Oh, I was going to go over to where the football team is practicing and see if I could try out. I know I'm late and stuff, but I figure why not at least try?"

"Football… meh," Mike spat. "You should play a real sport like hockey. The Avalanche are going all the way this year."

"That's what you say every year." Nick interrupted.

"And if I say it every year, eventually I'll be right."

"Well I gotta go right now. Nice meeting you two," Ron said as he walked away.

Ron made his way to the locker room and changed into his P.E. clothes before he made his way out to the football field where the team was preparing to begin practice. Fate seemed to be on Ron's side, as the coach told Ron that one of the students that had been trying out for the runningback position injured his leg earlier in the week. There was indeed a place for Ron to try out. Ron knew that he couldn't mess this up. This was a critical step in forging a new Ron. He could not fail.


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: I'm glad that everyone is enjoying this story. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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Ron could hardly believe it. He had made the team.

A few weeks had gone by since Ron had successfully tried out. It was something completely new to him. For the first time in his life, Ron Stoppable was a part of something. Sure, he had been a part of the cheer squad back in Middleton, but he was pretty much unwanted there. In fact only one person had wanted him there.

And now even she didn't matter to him.

It had all gone by so fast. When he was with the team for practice they decided to see how fast he could run. All those missions had finally paid off as far as Ron was concerned. He truly did have 'mad running away skills'. He was the fastest guy there, much to the delight of the coaches. They were sure he could run, but what they wanted to know now is if he could actually get past defenders. He didn't disappoint.

Ron never knew he had such strength or grace within him. When trying to get past defenders, he always managed to take a few precious extra steps as he pressed the linemen back before finally being tackled by more. He was also able to dodge and avoid the defenders whenever a hole opened up for him in the line. Another benefit of constantly being chased by henchmen and laser beams on missions.

Never in his wildest dreams would Ron had thought he would be a jock. Still though, he didn't even consider himself to be a jock. As far as he was concerned he was just Ron. A Ron who played football. When he thought more about it, he didn't even like football much. The only other time he had ever cared about it was when he tried out for every sport at Middleton High… and failed miserably. Even then he only did it so he could try to get the attention of the ladies. Maybe this time he would actually succeed in doing so.

He thought about these things as he was in the weight room. Normally the only exercises Ron did involved his thumbs on a game controller. But the coaches thought that he would definitely benefit from spending some time lifting a few days a week. It still amazed them that a person with such a small frame could be so tenacious on the field when it came to plowing through the defensive linemen. They told him that if he worked hard and added some muscle mass to his body he could be a dominant force. And Ron liked the sound of that.

"So she thinks I'm not good enough," Ron grunted as he continued to lift. "I'll show them. I'll show all of them what I can become."

He was the only person in the room at the moment. All of the other players had long since left. Ron had never willingly stayed after school this long. But he was determined to do something great. He was determined to be something that Kim thought he could never be. He would show her how wrong she was to dump him.

So focused was Ron that he didn't hear someone enter the room. His back was facing the door as well, so he was completely oblivious to the man who was coming up behind him.

"Stoppable!" a familiar voice shouted.

"_No… it's not possible!" _Ron thought to himself.

But there he was. Standing behind Ron was the large frame of Steve Barkin.

"Mr. Barkin…" Ron said uneasily as he put down the weights. "What are you doing here?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you to never lift when you don't have a spotter?"

"I-"

"What are you doing in here anyway Stoppable? Self-improvement doesn't exactly seem like your thing."

"I-"

"Don't answer that. Something tells me I don't want to know."

"Okay…"

"Anyway, you're lucky you moved. I never did get around to filing that suspension for you. Let's just hope you don't start acting like a punk here too. I hear the principal is a strict man."

"Oh, yeah. Very strict Mr. B," Ron lied. "So what exactly are you doing here?"

"Glad you asked that," Mr. Barkin said brimming with pride. "It just so happens Coach Roberts and I are friends, and we like to mess with each other before our teams play next week."

"You don't seem like the messing type sir."

Mr. Barkin brought his face close to Ron's. His face was a mask of seriousness.

"Trust me Stoppable. I can be very _fun_ when I choose to."

"No arguments here sir," Ron gulped.

Ron knew he didn't need to fear Mr. Barkin anymore. He had no authority at this school. But old habits die hard.

"Anyway, I think it's time you headed home considering you're the only one left. You may not be my student anymore, but I'm not about to have a little guy like you be in the weight room unsupervised. Even I wouldn't want to see you getting hurt."

"Yeah. I probably should be headed home."

As Ron moved toward the exit he was stopped when Mr. Barkin placed his hand on his shoulder. Ron turned and looked to see Barkin have his hand extended.

"It's good to see you again. Things aren't the same without you."

Ron was a bit surprised, but shook his hand none the less.

"Yeah… lots of things have changed since the last time we talked."

If only Barkin had any idea of what he really meant by that.

"Anyway, I'm going to get going too. Take care of yourself."

"You too Mr. B."

Ron began his journey home when suddenly it hit him. What was it that Barkin had said? That their teams would be meeting? In a week? Ron felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized what that meant. He would be seeing a lot of familiar faces. Faces he thought he would never have to see again.

One in particular.

Ron had no trouble working it all out in his head. Kim was still the head cheerleader. Cheerleaders cheer for football players. And Ron was now a football player. That meant…

She would be at the game. He couldn't avoid her. Somehow, someway, he would have to face this new found fear of his. At that instant he knew he had to talk to his new friends about this. They had made it so clear to him about what Kim truly was. He didn't want to admit it at first, but they were right. So now he would need their help for this situation too. He could only hope they would provide the sage advice that he required.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What am I going to do?"

Ron was nervously pacing back and forth in Sean's room. The four boys had gathered there in the afternoon to hang out, as well as show Ron Sean's computer system. Though he had never been in Wade's room, Ron imagined that this is what it would probably look like.

Multiple monitors and other hardware lined one of the walls. Wires were haphazardly scattered all behind the main desk where Sean would sit at. It was utter chaos. They had been right though. Ron could only imagine how many thousands of dollars had been put into this system. He wondered how much it could do if put to an important task like missions.

"I don't get why it's such a bad thing Ron," Sean answered.

Ron stopped and looked at Sean as if he had just grown a second head.

"You don't understand? This is Kim here! I'm going to be going back to Middleton! I never wanted to go back there. I never wanted to see those people again! How am I supposed to handle this?"

"Uh, go out there and play?" Mike suggested.

"I can't play with her there! What if she sees me?"

"Then she sees you. It's not like she can hurt you or anything. At least not anymore than she already has."

Ron resumed his pacing.

"You don't get it. We haven't even talked to each other since our breakup. Can you imagine how smug she will be about it? She knows I'm nothing now without her."

"You're not nothing man," Nick assured him. "You're the guy who can eat more nacos than the three of us combined."

"But it's like I'm the enemy now! I play for Upperton. And she's on the other team. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but doesn't that count for something?"

"Woo yeah!" Mike screamed. "Upperton is going to the state finals! Go team!"

"Dude you don't even like football," Nick said.

"No shit Nick. I was being sarcastic," Mike bit back.

It was about time Ron asked a question that had been on his mind for a while now.

"You guys really like to swear a lot. Why is that?"

Sean was the first to speak up.

"Well _shucks _Ron! I'm so sorry!" he said sarcastically. "This is the real world after all, not some little kiddie cartoon. You need to open up, express your anger. Let it out, it feels good."

"Okay okay I get it. Now can we get back to the problem at hand?"

"I still don't understand what the problem is," Mike sighed.

"The problem is… I don't know. It's just going to be weird I guess. The game isn't for another few days and I'm totally nervous."

"Nervous, eh?"

"I haven't felt this way since the Bueno Nacho headquarters thing. I'm totally freaking out."

"I may just have a way to solve that problem."

"Time to introduce him to the sweet caress of our green lover?" Nick asked.

A brief period of silence filled the room. Mike was the first to speak up.

"Nick… that was seriously fucked up. What are you on?"

"You know what I'm on."

"Oh yeah good point."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ron asked, genuinely confused. "I got the most twisted image of Shego in my mind when he said that."

"Ron my man," Mike began. "I have a way to make all your nervousness disappear. Do you have an open mind?"

"My motto is 'never be normal'. So I guess that answers that."

At that point Sean went over to his bed and looked under it. After a few seconds of searching he produced a silver tin box. Ron still had no idea what was going on, Nick and Mike were just grinning.

"We'll start him off with just the basics," Sean explained. "Time to find out if this really is a gateway drug like those losers hype it up to be."

"Huh?" Ron said.

Sean opened the box and produced a fairly large bag filled with a green substance, something which Ron did not immediately recognize. Ron was a chef at heart, and had never been introduced to the world that his three friends lived in. Middleton had left him fairly sheltered. There was almost zero crime there, zero gangs, drugs, and so forth. And although Upperton was a good clean town as well, it was much larger than Middleton. And cities of its size were not immune to the temptations and vices that Ron was about to come into contact with.

Finally it clicked for Ron. It all made sense. He wasn't stupid after all. Just naïve.

Painfully naïve.

Ron loved to cook. He was very good at it. So when he saw the bag he knew what his friends had planned for him. It was oregano! Cooking always helped Ron relieve his stress, and it would be a great honor to cook something along side his new friends.

"So what are we going to be cooking?" he asked.

"Cooking?" Sean said. "I never heard anyone describe it like that. Although we are going to get pretty baked. So I guess that makes sense."

"Ron? What do you think this is?" Mike asked.

"It's oregano. I mean, we are going to be making something like pasta… aren't we?"

Sean and Mike just looked at each other. They were sort of at a loss for words.

"This isn't oregano Ron. This is some of the finest bud I've ever smoked," Sean explained.

"Bud?"

"You know… grass? Weed?"

Ron still looked confused.

"Marijuana?"

Now it really hit him.

"Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! Oh…"

"Wow that's… Ron have you ever done anything remotely wrong in your life?" Mike asked.

"Well not really. I always had Kim sort of looking out for me."

"Never fear Ron!" Nick bombastically shouted. "Now we're the ones looking out for you. And you know we would never lead you astray, right?"

"Uh…"

"The correct answer is, 'No Nick. You guys are super cool and I know that you only have my best interests in mind'."

Ron wouldn't admit it, but he was just the slightest bit nervous. Okay, that was an understatement. He was utterly terrified. He had said he had an open mind, but this was something completely foreign to him. He was about to do something illegal. He was about to do something that for his whole life he had been taught was wrong. But then he thought, who were the people teaching him that in the first place? A bunch of adults who he didn't know. Why should he trust or believe them? Since when did they have his personal interests at heart?

Mike, Sean, and Nick on the other hands were his friends. They wouldn't hurt him. Even though he had only known them for a couple of weeks they were already proving to be some of the best friends he had ever had. Outside of Felix and the old Kim, that is. And they weren't around anymore, now were they?

"Yeah, so, um, what now?" Ron asked.

"Now we wait for Sean to roll a couple joints," Mike said. "Then it's time to show you what fun really is."

"Are you sure it's like, safe and stuff?"

"Ron Ron Ron… we've been doing this for years now. And does it look like its hurt us at all?"

"Not really."

Rufus on the other hand was not convinced. He poked his head worryingly out of Ron's pocket and looked around. He knew that something very wrong was going on here, even if his human did not. But for the moment he had no where to go. He had no one he could go to for help. He would have to endure whatever was about to occur. But his worrying did not go unnoticed by Ron.

"Don't worry little buddy. Everything's gonna be okay," he said reassuringly. Then he lowered his voice to almost a whisper, so only he himself could hear it. "I hope so at least…"

After he was finished, Sean brought out a lighter and the four sat around on the floor preparing for something completely normal to three of them, and something totally new to Ron. After taking a hit from the crudely wrapped joint, Mike passed it on to Ron.

"Okay Ron, some people say you don't get high on your first time. Your results may vary. Just remember. When you inhale it, suck it down into your lungs and hold it there for as long as you can before you have to exhale. We wouldn't want to waste the stuff, now would we?"

"I guess not."

Ron put the joint to his lips and hesitantly sucked in, much to the delight of the other three. Before he knew it Ron began coughing violently. He was totally not used to this.

"It's okay man, try again," Mike said reassuringly.

And so he did. This time, he was met with more success.

"Welcome to our world Ron."

XXXXXXXXXX

Deep in the mountains of rural Japan was the Yamanouchi School, a secret ninja training academy. Its existence was known to only a few select individuals, nearly all of them being either current or former students. The fact of the matter was that only a few people in the world needed to know of it, or what it housed.

For the past few weeks there had been an anomaly at the school. The sacred Lotus Blade, with which the school was carved from, was becoming a growing concern to the keepers of the blade. It shuddered and vibrated with almost uncontrollable power as it sensed the time drawing nearer… the time when it would join its master to wreak havoc and destruction upon its enemies.

Yori was one of the keepers of the blade, and looked on with concern as it continued to shake in its glass casing. She was joined by another older gentleman, the master of the Yamanouchi School. As if reading her mind, he spoke of the blade.

"You are concerned, Yori?" Sensei asked.

"Yes Sensei," she answered. "The Lotus Blade has been acting so violently as of late. What is wrong with it?"

"The blade wishes to be with its master. They share a bond as you may remember. The true monkey master will wield the blade against evil."

"Is it true that this warrior will be Stoppable-san?"

"He does indeed possess great power, but it is up to him whether or not it is unlocked. Even when it is, he will still not be ready to use it. He must learn to master it."

"Does that mean he will be rejoining us here at Yamanouchi?"

"That is the only way he will learn to harness and channel the power. Without such instruction he as well as many others may be in grave danger."

Yori thought about the last statement for a few seconds. She didn't exactly know how he would be in danger. She was not privy to the knowledge of the Lotus Blade like Sensei was, and thus there was probably something important she was unaware of. She only hoped that when the time came, Ron would rejoin them and fulfill his destiny.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was about twenty minutes after Ron had taken his first step into a new world. At first he was actually quite nervous and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. His hands were sweaty. This was after all something completely new to him. He was scared and excited at the same time. Of course he had overheard things in the halls during school and seen things on TV, but he still had little idea what to expect.

The four boys were sitting around in Sean's room waiting for the drug to take effect on them. The three who were experienced just were just chatting amongst themselves while music softly played in the background. Ron on the other hand was looking around, feeling the slightest bit paranoid about the whole situation. He then saw Mike pop a couple of pills in his mouth. He didn't know exactly what they were, but he knew that he wasn't yet ready to try something like that.

"Uh guys?" Ron asked. How will I know if something's happening?"

"Don't worry Ron," Mike said. "You'll know."

"Yeah but what if I don't? What if this is some whole elaborate setup?"

"A setup?"

"Yeah what if this is a whole trick to get me arrested while all of you sit around and laugh at me!"

"Uh…"

Ron whipped his head around suddenly and noticed the room moved weirdly. He shook his head clear and everything went back to normal. That was until he moved his head again. He felt the slightest bit dizzy when he did. Then he noticed his heart again which was beating incredibly fast.

"Guys something's wrong with my heart!" he cried out.

"Relax Ron, it's perfectly normal." Sean said calmly.

"Yeah dude you just need to sit back and relax," Mike agreed. "It's not like you can overdose on this stuff."

The boys resumed their talking as Ron shifted uncomfortably and began to tap his fingers to a rhythm only he could hear inside his head. Eventually it became so loud that it became a distraction.

"Ron are you high yet?" Mike asked.

"Um, probably not. Everything seems perfectly fine here. Better than fine in fact. It's so fine that even something fine would think it was fine."

Mike began laughing, because he was feeling the effects of the marijuana for sure.

"Ron, what are you talking about?"

"Um, what?" Ron asked.

"Huh?"

"Wait what were we just talking about?"

"I don't know, you were just like, doing something or something."

All of the sudden Ron whipped his head around to behind him.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I don't know."

Ron stood up and began pacing around. While the other three boys seemed very mellow and relaxed, Ron was feeling active. In fact, he was just plain hyper. He began to repeatedly run his hands through his hair as the others started laughing at him for no particular reason.

"See this is why I like you guys," Ron said as he began to overemphasize his words with hand gestures. "You don't like, judge me for being me and stuff. I like me and so should everyone else."

"Dude he's totally stoned," Nick pointed out.

"No dude I'm serious! You guys are all like, 'Ron is Ron and that's cool' and stuff. You wouldn't judge me for being me. Wait didn't I already say that?"

"I don't know man, you're talking like gibberish and shit," Sean laughed. "I don't even remember what you were talking about."

Ron couldn't help but start laughing too. He needed to sit down. All the pacing had made him even more dizzy than he already had been. He was losing his balance and couldn't stand up any longer. He collapsed on the bed and continued to laugh for absolutely no reason. Then he felt a rumbling in his stomach.

"Dude I'm hungry," he said in between laughs.

"We should totally go to Bueno Nacho or something," Sean suggested.

"I'm too lazy to walk there though," Nick whined. "Can you guys go there and pick me something up?"

"Uh how about no."

"No what?" Ron asked.

"No to him like getting Bueno Nacho or something," Sean answered.

"Dude no way I want Bueno Nacho too! Let's go!"

"Yeah man I want to go but Nick is saying how he doesn't want any."

"No I want some. I'm just like too lazy to go."

"I'm confused," Ron laughed.

Mike laughed as well.

"Me too."

"Naco naco!" Ron began to sing. "You are tasty you are yummy! I want you in my tummy!"

The others looked at him with confusion and smiles on their faces.

"That's my naco song. I just like, uh, made it up or something."

"It sucks man," Nick said. "You need to like add a refrain and stuff."

"Wait what were we talking about before Ron's awesome song?" Mike asked.

No one really know what to say at this point.

Rufus once more popped his head out of Ron's pocket and was looking very afraid. He had to looks of what was happening to his human. He had never seen Ron act like this before. It was disturbing to say the least.

But for right now there was nothing he could do about it. He was still stuck in Upperton. He was also just a naked mole rat. He couldn't exactly go up to people and ask them for help. And he for sure didn't want Ron's parents, or any other kind of authority figure to find out about this new lifestyle of his. That meant there was only one person he could conceivably talk to if Ron were to get his life back on track.

Even if it was a person who Ron never wanted to speak to again.


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note: Thanks again to the people who have taken an interest in this story. The support and feedback is encouraging.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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This was once place Ron never expected to be.

It was a whole new feeling. He had never expected to feel like an outsider in the school he called home for the past three years of his life. But that's exactly what was going on.

His nerves had been somewhat calmed over the past few days. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, he actually had come to enjoy the drugs that his new friends had provided. Maybe it wasn't about the drugs at all though. Rather, it was about the bond that had formed between him and his friends. In a new school, filled with new people and experiences, it was something that gave him some semblance of security. Just to know he had people he could hang out with and rely on for support made him feel good inside.

But despite how good he had been feeling about the upcoming game, nothing had prepared him for this. His felt butterflies in his stomach. He knew there was no going back now. He was in there with the rest of the team preparing to go out and do battle. It would be a ferocious battle indeed.

The Middleton Mad Dogs and Upperton Iguanas had met last year as well. It turned out to be much more than just a Middleton victory. A sort of rivalry had been formed. Ron remembered the game of course, as he used to be the mascot. The game had been extremely close until Middleton was able to kick a winning field goal with only seconds left on the clock. The Upperton players had taken it hard, and more than one fight had broken out afterward. Even Kim had gotten involved when she decided to try and separate the fighting players. She had used her martial skills on more than one occasion to break up some of the fights.

So here Ron sat by himself in the visitors' locker room at Middleton High School. Of course there was the rest of the team preparing, just not by him. It was more by choice that he was alone. He didn't really know anyone very well on the team. Only a few had come to accept his place on the team. In fact, some of them didn't even refer to him by his name. They just called him 'the new kid'. Ron didn't so much mind the nickname. He had been called much worse back in Middleton. He considered himself lucky that he was just called the new kid.

He was all but ready to get out on the field and win. But others in the locker room were still taking their time preparing and chatting with each other. He couldn't help but overhear some of the conversations.

"…She told me she was eighteen. It's not my fault," one of the kids said.

Ron didn't even want to know what that conversation was about.

"…Just hit up up down left X up, and you get the secret level," another said.

He smiled as he realized they were talking about Zombie Mayhem.

After a few more minutes Jeremy, the quarterback, stood up and got everyone's attention. Ron hadn't been expecting a speech but apparently that's what was going on.

"Alright guys, tonight is the night we get our revenge," Jeremy began. "We all know what happened last year, and there's no way we're going to let that happen again."

There was a general murmur of agreement amongst the players.

"So we're just going to go out there, kick some ass, and win this thing. But if we're going to do that we need everyone to be at their best. Who's with me?"

This time the agreement was louder and more strongly felt. The team seemed to be on one page until another boy named Mark stood up.

"What about the new kid?" he asked. "He wasn't here last year. In fact he used to go to Middleton."

"Yeah," another said. "What if he's here to sabotage us or something?"

Ron was shocked, plain and simple. What had he ever done to these people to deserve such scorn and doubt? It seemed everywhere he went these days he was treated poorly by someone.

"Look, Stoppable is one of us," the quarterback said. "He's our runningback. He's going to go out there and do his best just like the rest of us."

"_At least someone remembered my name,"_ Ron thought.

"He's only here because Tommy got hurt," another boy said. "Tommy was much better than him anyway."

"Dude shut up. Tommy sucked and you know it. You just don't like Stoppable because he's new."

"Whatever. Just know that if he messes up tonight I'm gonna kick his ass."

Ron wasn't fazed by the threat. Like the nicknames, he had heard much worse in his life. He had been in far more dangerous situations as well. Spending a few years battling against super villains and blowing up lairs just had that sort of effect on a person. Some high school kids' empty threats didn't scare Ron much these days. Especially after he had already won one fight in his new school.

Eventually the big moment came. Coach Roberts entered the room and announced it was time to take the field. Ron snapped on his helmet and stood up. A thought crossed his mind. Maybe if he didn't take off his helmet no one would know he was there. He could just be another Upperton football player rather than Ron Stoppable. It seemed like a good idea to him anyway. Either way, this was it. Game time. Show time. Time to face his old life.

Time to face her.

XXXXXXXXXX

So here he was now. Friday night. The air was cool on Ron's face as he jogged out to the field. The lights were bright. He never quite realized how bright they were. He had always been on the sidelines as the Mad Dog. But now he was on center stage. The people's attention was focused on him and the rest of the team. It felt weird.

He turned a full 360 degree circle as he took in the sights and sounds of the situation. The crowd was roaring in anticipation of a good game. He was able to pick out a few familiar faces among them. It made him feel a bit insecure. The only person from Middleton that he had kept in contact with was Felix. Other than that he really had no one to talk to about anything. But he couldn't help but feel that if they knew he was here that they would be angry at him. It wouldn't even be over anything real that he did. It would more likely be that they would feel he was a traitor. He used to be the icon of Middleton football. And now he was going to be battling against them.

Ron blinked hard and shook his head as he realized that he should be getting ready. The players were beginning to huddle together in preparation for the first play of the game. Upperton was getting the ball first. Ron's nerves continued to bother him just a bit. This time it wasn't just the thought of seeing Kim again. It was the fact that for the first time in his life he was playing a team sport. People were going to be relying on him. It was more than just his teammates. It was everyone else at his school. They had pride in their team and it would not do Ron any favors for him to mess up and lose the game. Whether he liked it or not, people were taking this game seriously. So he decided he should as well. He put on his game face and entered the huddle.

"Alright listen up," Jeremy ordered. "We need to establish a good running game first so I can do what I do best. That means you're getting the ball this play Stoppable."

But as hard as Ron tried he couldn't focus. Something else had caught his attention. It was Kim. There she was on the Middleton sideline doing her routine. Ron didn't even notice the shapes of Bonnie, Tara, and the rest. His eyes were drilling holes into Kim. Despite the fact that she was only cheering, just like she had been doing for years now, it was making him angry.

To Ron it was simple. How dare she be happy? How dare she be going on with the rest of her life while he was still upset and bitter about what had taken place? She was just there cheering without a care in the world. Ron on the other hand still felt the hurt and betrayal from his former best friend. Even when he should have been concentrating on what Jeremy was saying, he still couldn't help but look at her.

It did not go unnoticed by the veteran quarterback.

"Stoppable!" he screamed as he smacked the side of Ron's helmet to get his attention.

"What!" Ron roared back.

"I said you're getting the ball this play. Are we clear?"

"Oh. Yeah," Ron then turned on his cocky attitude. "I've got this. Don't worry about me."

"Good."

After breaking the huddle the Middleton and Upperton players lined up. The play was called. After a few tense seconds the ball was snapped and was handed off to Ron. He ran right and managed to only get a couple of yards before being held up by a large Middleton lineman. Ron trudged forward with all of his might and managed to gain one more yard before another Middleton player came from his left and knocked him to his feet. The boy took his time getting off of Ron, most likely on purpose.

"Get off of me!" Ron yelled at him.

After the two had stood up Ron noticed the Middleton player had a smile on his face.

"Do something about it punk," the boy sneered at Ron.

Not one to be afraid of confrontation anymore, Ron shoved the larger boy and sent him stumbling backwards a few feet. He then proceeded to shove Ron back and soon a melee broke out between the players. A few of the more cool-headed boys along with a referee broke up the fight before anything serious had occurred. But it had left Ron with a bad taste in his mouth. He wanted to hit something, and hit it right now.

The Upperton players got into another huddle to plot out their next move. After the gain of three yards, Jeremy decided to try and run again.

"Stoppable you're getting the ball again. We should have a big hole for you open there."

But Ron once more was not focused. The fight appeared to only have spurred on the Middleton cheer squad, along with two small Mad Dog mascots that Ron was unfamiliar with. Kim was leading the cheer with her usual attitude and grace, and the anger that was coursing through Ron's veins only grew.

"_Who does she think she is anyway? She thinks she's all that but she's not. Oh crap I sound like Drakken now."_

"Stoppable!"

Ron reacted to another slap to the helmet and looked into the angry eyes of Jeremy. He had completely forgotten about the game. It amazed Ron that even when Kim didn't know he was here, she was still affecting him.

"Sorry."

Jeremy's closed his eyes and sighed.

"Look, I know Middleton has some hot cheerleaders. But as long as you're playing on my team you think with the head on your shoulders, not the one in your pants. Got it?"

"Yeah," Ron conceded. "Got it."

"I wouldn't mind spending an hour alone with the red head on top if you know what I mean," another boy grinned.

The comment earned an icy glare from Ron. Despite how angry he was, he wouldn't accept anyone talking that way about Kim.

The teams lined up once more the play was called and the ball was snapped. Ron ran to his left this time and to his surprise was largely unopposed. He wove a delicate dance through the defenders until he was clear. He could hardly believe how graceful and fast he had been. He was running in the backfield now and there was no one to stop him. No one except the safety who was running straight in Ron's direction.

Ron was now faced with two options. He could either try to juke the defender and get around him, or just try to plow straight through him. The decision was made for him easily. He craved the physical contact that came with the second option. He was angry about the defender who had tackled him on the previous play. He was angry about the very sight of Kim. He needed the release. He needed to hit something hard. His eyes flashed blue with his decision.

As the two boys closed in on each other Ron slightly changed his direction and was now on a direct collision course with the safety. He lowered his shoulder in anticipation of the blow. The two crashed into each other with a crunching sound as their pads and helmets met. The Middleton defender was knocked back a few feet onto his backside as Ron continued his unstoppable advance down field. He finally made it to the end zone with a grin on his face.

But then something happened that no one who knew Ron Stoppable would expect. There was no overblown touchdown dance. There was no goofy display. He just stood there for a brief second before handing the ball to the referee a la Walter Peyton. For some strange reason he felt no need to celebrate this monumental achievement of his. He just didn't seem to care.

Then something he was not expecting at all happened. The announcer, who up to this point he had tuned out, said something that sent a chill down his spine.

"Touchdown Ron Stoppable!"

Ron swallowed hard at the mention of his name. The secret was out now. There was no going back.

Over on the Middleton sideline, an eerie silence fell over the cheerleaders and players. It was broken after a few seconds as they all registered what the announcer had said.

"Stoppable!" Mr. Barkin cried out.

"Stoppable?" Bonnie said with horror.

"Ron…?" Kim whispered.

Ron began to jog back across the field to his own lines. Unfortunately that brought him within yelling distance of the Middleton players and cheerleaders.

"Hey look at the loser trying to play jock," Bonnie jeered. "Isn't it hilarious?"

Ron stopped in his tracks and couldn't help but put on a cruel smile as he turned to respond.

"You know Bonnie, I never did get to thank you for telling me the truth about Kim and Josh."

"My pleasure Stoppable. Now get back over to your own side of the field before you start crying. Kim is right here after all."

Ron chucked darkly as he looked into the brunettes eyes.

"All I have to say is check the scoreboard. Touchdown, whore."

Bonnie could only stare at him as he jogged away. Her mouth was opening and closing like that of a fish, but no words were coming out. She was too stunned by Ron's words to think of anything else insulting to say. She had no idea when he had developed a backbone, but she didn't like it.

"Ron!" Tara shouted after him in disbelief. She was appalled at what he had called Bonnie.

But he didn't answer. He didn't even give any indication that he had heard. He just kept jogging until he was back to the bench. Once there he ripped off his helmet and brushed the sweaty hair away that was stuck to his forehead. There was no point in keeping the helmet on anymore. Everyone knew he was here, Kim included.

"Nice work Stoppable," Jeremy said as he patted Ron on the shoulder before moving on.

Ron only grunted in response. He was still feeling awful. It made him mad that he didn't know why he still felt this way about Kim. He should be feeling happy right now. But instead he just buried his face in his hands and sat there in silence. It didn't take long for one of the players to approach Ron.

"Hey new kid, you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm just… yeah I'm fine."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Kim had heard Ron's name she froze in terror. Surely there was a mistake. Surely that couldn't be the Ron that she knew. It had to be some insane coincidence that there was another person named Ron Stoppable playing for Upperton. But then she had heard his voice. The exchange of words with Bonnie confirmed that it was indeed him. She didn't know how to react.

No one did.

"How did he do that?" Mr. Barkin asked aloud to no one in particular. "He's not supposed to be able to do that."

But he did.

"Possible!" he asked in Kim's direction. "Did you know he had this in him?"

"I… I don't know," was all she was able to muster.

"What an incredible turn around. No wonder he was lifting weights when I went to go see Coach Roberts…"

That set an alarm off in Kim's head.

"Wait Mr. Barkin. You saw Ron and you didn't tell me?"

"Well quite frankly Ms. Possible, I didn't really think you would want to know."

"Oh? And why is that? We've only been best friends since pre-k."

"Let's just say that as an administrator in this high school, I overhear a lot of things from the students."

Kim realized immediately what he was referring to.

"Come on Mr. Barkin that's not fair and you know it!"

"I'm sorry. I honestly just didn't think it would be that important to you based on the things I have heard."

Kim didn't respond this time. She was just feeling too angry. She had a right to know where Ron was and how he was doing. At least that's how she felt. Mr. Barkin should have told her no matter what the state of their relationship was.

She gazed over to the Upperton sideline and saw him sitting there with his hands covering his face. He looked so sad, so depressed, so broken. Despite the fight they had a few weeks earlier, she didn't like seeing him in this state. He was supposed to be the happy goofy Ron that made people laugh. Not this.

"_Ron… my poor Ron,"_ she thought.

Wait. Had she just called him 'her Ron'? That didn't make a whole lot of sense to her. She shook it off as just an old habit. They used to be inseparable. But that was then, this was now. Now he was different. What he had called Bonnie was proof of that. Kim never knew he had it in him. But there was something else he had said.

Why did Ron thank Bonnie? What did he mean when he had spoken of the truth between her and Josh?

Kim really didn't know what to think about that. But something about it screamed at her to discuss it with Bonnie. She decided she would sometime after the game. After all, Middleton was only down 7-0. There was still a lot of football left to be played. And as the head cheerleader it was her job to get the crowd going. If this was the new Ron, Middleton would need all the help they could get.

Ron went on to score another touchdown in the game. He turned out to be one of the deciding factors in the game, as the Upperton Iguanas went on to defeat the Middleton Mad Dogs 28-14. The players and cheerleaders on the sidelines were not the only people in shock. The fans in the stands didn't know what to think. This was Ron Stoppable after all. He was the school loser. He was lazy, sarcastic, and quite possibly the most unpopular guy in school. So how was it that this person was able to run for two touchdowns? Neither the coaches nor the fans had any explanation of how it happened. Only one thing was for certain. Ron Stoppable had come back a changed man. It was a shame that no one, Ron included, had no idea just how much he had changed.


	6. Chapter 6

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

The weekends were precious to Ron. This was nothing unusual for a teenager, but it was especially true in his case. He actually had things to do now. There was no football practice on Saturday and Sunday, which gave his bruised and battered body time to heal. Being the running back for Upperton's team was pretty tiring to him. He had found that out first hand in his first game the prior night.

And what a night it had been. He had faced his fears and triumphed. He wasn't crushed by the opposing team. In fact, he had shined on the field of battle. He never thought he had it in him. But lately since his breakup with Kim he had been feeling more alive. He had been full of new kinds of energy he had not experienced before. It wasn't explainable to him, but he didn't so much care about it. But that still didn't make the pain go away.

That was another reason he liked the weekends. It gave him plenty of time to hang out with his friends. He really did enjoy spending time with them just messing around. It didn't matter that they really didn't accomplish anything together. When he was with Kim they had done all sorts of charity work. But now he was free to do whatever he felt like. This included a new sort of hobby of his.

Never in his wildest dreams did Ron think he would try any kind of illegal drug. That just wasn't who he was. That's what he thought at least. But that was the old him. The old him who was restrained by Kim to do only what she felt was good for him. She eschewed the things that he liked, even when they weren't harmful. She never took an interest in his hobbies such as video games. Of course she had started playing them once, but that was only because she was jealous of all the time he was spending with his friend Felix. When Ron thought about it, that was just another example of her hold over him. Just another example of making sure he was her loyal lapdog.

Now that she was out of the picture he was having the time of his life. The first time he had gotten high was sort of an adventure of his. He was scared at the time because he had never experienced anything like it before. He honestly thought that some harm was going to come to him at the time. But now that he knew what to expect he was free to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The four boys would just sit around the room while smoking and doing nothing really. The conversations ranged from pointless to absurd. To Ron that was just fine. He was never big on the whole educated and meaningful conversations anyway. That was one reason his grades were often limited to C's. He just simply didn't care about what he learned.

"Dude Ron," Nick began. "If you were stranded on an island with pants made of nacos, would you eat them?"

"A naco is a naco whatever shape it takes," Ron answered. "Of course I would eat them."

"Even if that meant you wouldn't have pants on?"

"Totally. I'm used to losing my pants and stuff. For me it's no big. Damn it!"

"What?"

"I said it again."

"Said what?"

"'No big'"

"What's so bad about that?"

"Because it's something Kim used to say all the time."

"Oh. Yeah she's hot."

"Dude!"

"Nick's right, as much as I hate to admit it," Sean interrupted. "You can't deny it and you know it."

"What do you mean, 'as much as I hate to admit it'?" Nick said to Sean.

"Well you're pretty much always wrong about whatever you say. I'd say that even Ron here knows more shit than you do."

"Oh wow, thanks for the vote of confidence," Ron grumbled.

"Dude Sean what the fuck do you know anyway?" Nick bit back.

"I know nothing, and that's why I'm smarter than you."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"It does if you're familiar with philosophy."

"Nerd!"

"Okay okay!" Ron said as he held his head. "Philosophic talk is making my head hurt!"

"What would you rather have us talk about fashion and the O-Boyz?" Sean asked.

"No."

Mike had been quietly observing the entire time while he was filling up a bowl with weed. But now he felt the need to speak up.

"Fashion."

"What?" The other three boys stated in unison.

"Ron. Fashion. Excellent idea."

The boys just gave him confused looks.

"Ron, you need new clothes. Sorry to say, but your whole khaki pants and red jersey outfit just isn't working out anymore."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Ron asked defensively.

Mike passed the bowl to Nick along with a lighter, who took a hit with delight.

"You need something new. I mean, when was the last time you bought clothes anyway?"

Ron thought back. It had really been quite some time. Normally he would go to the mall with Kim. That made him sigh a little. Was there nothing he could do to get her off of his mind?

"Well, normally I would go shopping with Kim. Her being a girl and all, she would help pick out my stuff."

"Ron, we are here to rescue you yet again!" Mike said with mock heroism. "We're going to go with you to get some new stuff. The key is to dress like you don't care what people think."

"But I really don't care."

"Yeah, but you have to make it look like you don't care."

"Huh?"

"We need to get you some pre-faded and pre-torn jeans. Some nice black t-shirts and a black hoody too. Then you'll be all set."

"Why would I want some pre-torn stuff?"

"Because man, you have to make it look like you don't care about your clothes.

Ron wasn't really confused, he was more frustrated. He knew he was right about the situation. Yet Mike was going on and on about how Ron needed to care about his clothes so he looked like he didn't care.

"Dude that doesn't make any sense!"

"Trust me Ron it does."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was just a little bit tired. She had had an interesting time the night before. What was supposed to be the big game against Upperton had turned into so much more for her. It was a reunion of sorts. One she had never been expecting.

There was just something so wrong about the whole situation. This was the Ron that she had grown up with. He wasn't supposed to be capable of the things he had done. Yet there he was. He had run for two touchdowns and helped upset defending regional champion Mad Dogs.

But the game didn't so much matter to Kim. Rather her attentions had been focused on Ron. She had a hard time falling asleep that night because of him. From what she saw his physical appearance had not really changed. He was the same old Ron in that sense. But somehow he had packed tremendous power and energy into his small body. She doubted that he had one of Jack Hench's muscle rings due to the fact that he didn't look like one of the muscled goons they were used on.

No, it wasn't any kind of physical change that was on her mind. It was everything else. His whole attitude, his mannerisms. When he had scored that first touchdown, he should have done some sort of overblown touchdown celebration. Yet he didn't. When Bonnie had insulted him, he should have just walked away silently. Yet he didn't. And then there was just how depressed he looked for the rest of the game…

Not that Kim's lack of sleep went noticed by her boyfriend Josh. The two of them were currently sitting in the food court at the mall. Kim had decided to go shopping to clear her mind, and she had been looking to spend some more time with Josh. The weekends were a prime time to spend time with him, seeing how she was still in high school, and he had some classes during the evenings at the Upperton Institute of Art.

But lately something had changed about him. He seemed different from the Josh that she knew back in high school. It was like he lived in his own little world now where only the things he cared about mattered. He wasn't abusive or selfish in any way, but it was still something she noticed. He would go on and on about art and the things he learned and cared about, and nothing else. Whenever she tried to change the conversation to something that they could both enjoy, he would simply shrug it off and get back to whatever he was talking about before. Right now was a prime example of what was going on.

"…So anyway, that's why I think that Picasso's work from the Rose Period is better than his work from the Blue Period."

It was happening all over again. This is the way it had been their past few meetings, as well as on the phone. It was uncanny the way he always had some artsy thing to talk about.

"…And can you believe that he said 'Portrait of Suzanne Bloch' was better than 'Lady with a Fan'?"

Kim hated to admit it, but it was beginning to become rather annoying.

"…I mean come on, when you look at paintings like 'Two Youths and 'Boy with a Dog', how can you not be moved by their beauty!"

There was a very pretty wall next to Kim's head. So flat and very hard. She wanted to hit her head against it. She wanted to hit it over and over again. That was how bored she was. This had to be worse than all of Drakken's take over the world rants and Mr. Barkin's lectures combined. There was just no stopping it. All she could do to not hurt his feelings was smile and nod.

"…And I'm not saying this to try to diminish his influences on analytic cubism…"

Kim sighed inwardly. He had been going on and on about Picasso for the past fifteen minutes. She wasn't exactly an art lover like Josh, but she had appreciation for it. But even this was just too much to bear.

"…And synthetic cubism was just a further development. Kim are you listening?"

Kim immediately snapped out of her thoughts and looked Josh in the eyes.

"Oh yeah. Of course Josh. Cubism and all that good stuff. Because we all know regular old squares aren't good enough."

Josh frowned before continuing.

"So anyway, he also did great things in classicalism and surrealism…"

Kim needed a way out. Sports! She had a very limited scope of sports, but she thought she knew enough to get by. Or at least change the subject. That would have to do it. All guys loved sports right? She had to try.

"So Josh, how about those Broncos. They sure can throw the ball far, can't they?"

It was a weak attempt. She knew that. But even football was better than this.

"Broncos? Oh that reminds me of 'The Polish Rider' by Rembrandt…"

Kim was internally stunned. Not only had he once again ignored her, but was going off on another art tangent. That wall was looking very appealing right now.

She could hardly believe this. What was wrong with Josh? This isn't the man she loved. Or the man she thought she loved. How could he be so… boring? If all he truly cared about was his art, then where did that leave their future? That was one of the reasons she fell for him in the first place after all. He was going places. He was in a prestigious art school. That was on top of him being a sweet, sensitive and caring individual. But if this was the real him…

Could she have made a mistake?

There was no doubt in her mind that she did not want to be with the Josh that she was with right now. He was just so self-focused and bland. It's like he didn't realize that not everyone in the world cared about art as much as he did. This was so not going to work out.

And that's when her thoughts drifted back to Ron. Had she been equally as fickle about him as well? She remembered her reasons for breaking up with him in the first place. It wasn't that she didn't care for him. It was about the insecurity of their relationship. The way he acted he just didn't have much of a future. He didn't take things seriously. He just wasn't boyfriend material.

The scary thing that crossed her mind was, Josh wasn't either in certain ways. Josh may have had the talent and ambition to go far in life, but he was about as interesting as that blank wall that Kim wanted to slam her head against into unconsciousness to avoid hearing any more of his art talk.

Ron on the other hand made her laugh and feel protected and cared for, but he was just Ron! And Ron just didn't seem to have what it took to be her boyfriend.

What if she was wrong?

He had propelled himself to the starting running back position at Upperton. It seemed that ever since he had left he had changed for the better. He had improved himself. What if he had the potential to be her boyfriend all along? Was she just that picky? Was it her fault that she hadn't been able to unlock his greatness? Was the whole breakup a massive mistake on her part?

The many questions formulating in Kim's head completely blocked out Josh's droning voice. That's when she saw a girl over in the distance carrying a pair of bags.

"Bonnie…" Kim said suddenly.

XXXXXXXXXX

The feeling of relaxation once more took hold of Ron. He just loved the way he felt when he was high. He didn't have a care in the world.

He was so happy he had found these guys.

When he was high, he couldn't be angry about Kim. He couldn't worry about things like school or his future. He was just stuck in the moment, surrounded by good friends. This was definitely the way he wanted to spend his senior year. But still there was something he had been missing.

"Dude, you know what I want to start doing again?" he asked to no one in particular.

"What's that Ron?" Mike asked.

"Missions."

"Missions?"

"Yeah. Like, me and Kim used to go and fight and stuff. It was like thrilling and stuff."

Mike started laughing.

"Oh yeah. 'Cause you're like, some hero dude or something right?"

"Uh… yeah I think."

The talk of heroes didn't go unheard by Nick. Sean on the other hand was staring at a blank TV screen. Maybe he was watching something only he could see.

"Dude," Nick began. "If you could be like a super hero, what powers would you have?"

"What are you Nick, a ten year old?" Mike asked.

"No seriously man! There are these dudes in Go City who are like super heroes or something."

The new conversation sparked Ron's interest.

"I have super powers!" he said boastfully.

Nick and Mike both started laughing. Ron wasn't sure if they were mocking him, or if it was just the effects of the drugs.

"Yeah sure Ron," Mike teased. "Running really fast doesn't count as a super power."

"Tell that to The Flash," Nick countered.

"No no guys I'm serious!" Ron insisted. "Check this out. Come here Lotus Blade!"

A violent wind came out of no where and swept into Mike's bedroom. It was enough to knock Sean out of his trance. He along with everyone but Ron looked around in confusion. No one knew what had just happened, but their questions were going to be answered soon.

A crashing sound soon followed the wind as a sword came flying into the room, breaking through Mike's window and sending glass to the floor. It came to rest in Ron's hand where he just sat there with a triumphant grin on his face. No one spoke for a few seconds. The silence was only broken by Mike's scream.

"Dude! What the fuck! My window!"

Ignoring Mike's anger, Nick started laughing hysterically.

"Man where did you get this shit from?" he asked referring to the weed. "I'm seeing imaginary swords and stuff!"

"Uh… dude I see it too!" Sean added.

"What the fuck!" Mike repeated. "What the fuck happened to my window!"

Nick took an interest in the newly arrived blade. He reached out and touched it with a finger, and recoiled in sudden shock. A thin line of blood was now dripping down his right index finger.

"Ow! It bit me! I mean it cut me!"

"What the fuck are you doing poking sharp swords then genius?" Sean asked.

"I thought it wasn't real!"

"If you thought it wasn't real why would you poke it?"

"I don't know. Shut up."

Ron meanwhile was laughing at the antics of his friends. Not realizing the magnitude of what he had just done, he began to swing the Lotus Blade around in clumsy looking katas trying to look impressive.

"Ron, what is that thing?" Sean asked.

"How am I going to explain this to my parents!" yelled Mike.

"Uh… what?" Ron asked.

"I don't know what's going on!" Nick said.

"Dude this is seriously messed up," Sean added.

XXXXXXXXXX

After hearing what Ron had said the night before, she had made it a mission of hers to find out exactly what it meant. Why in the world would Ron thank Bonnie? Bonnie hated him, that was a fact that was pretty well known throughout the school. There was something going on that Kim didn't realize.

Kim had gotten up from her seat in the food court in mid-sentence of Josh's "conversation" and began to pursue the tanned brunette. Now was a perfect opportunity to ask Bonnie exactly what had happened between her and Ron.

She was a huntress, and Bonnie was her prey. Kim wove through the large crowd of people in between her and her unaware target. She was closing in fast and it was only a matter of time before Kim started getting answers.

Reaching out, she grabbed hold of Bonnie's shoulder, getting a soft scream out of the other girls lips. Bonnie turned around swiftly as a reflex and was visibly a little shaken up by the sudden physical contact. But the shock in her eyes were quickly replaced with contempt as she realized it was only Kim.

"Bonnie."

"What do you want Kim?"

"I need to talk to you about what happened last night."

"What, did you have a problem with my moves? I keep telling you that if I were the captain the routine would be better."

"No not that. I want to talk about Ron."

Bonnie shook her head in disgust.

"Oh that little punk. I should call some of my friends at Upperton and tell them to kick his scrawny little ass. Who does he think he is talking to me like that?"

Kim ignored Bonnie's threat and stayed focused on her goal. She was this close, and wasn't about to be distracted.

"Ron thanked you last night."

"Uh, what?" Bonnie asked, genuinely confused.

"Why did Ron thank you for telling the truth about me?"

Bonnie swallowed hard.

"Oh… that."

"Spill. Now."

Bonnie made a motion to walk away from the conversation.

"Actually Kim I have better things to do than-"

She didn't get very far as Kim grabbed her by the arm and lightly slammed her against the wall.

"Now, Bonnie!"

Bonnie's eyes were filled with anger as a response to Kim's sudden use of force.

"You vigilante freak!"

Kim's eyes were drilling holes into Bonnie, and the brunette realized there was no way out. She hated to admit it, but she was just a little afraid at the moment. Never before had Kim shown this kind of aggression on her before. She might as well tell her everything.

"Fine Kim, let go of me."

She did so, and Bonnie straightened out her clothes which she thought had been messed up by Kim's shove.

"I may have told Ron a few weeks ago that you had been seeing Josh for a long time now. Like, the entire time you two were dating."

"What…?"

"I may have implied that you were cheating on Ron for weeks…"

"Why would you do something like that?"

"Um, hello? Look who you're talking to here. It's not a big secret that the very sight of you two being together was disgusting. Look I'm like, sorry that he hates you now and stuff. All I wanted to do was end that vile thing you two called a relationship."

Kim was too stunned to respond right away. It all made sense now. No wonder Ron had been so mad at Bueno Nacho. He had been told that she was cheating on him. And then he saw her kiss Josh for the first time, and believed it had been going on all along. He had been manipulated by Bonnie, and Kim had been oblivious to it all.

"Bonnie. Go away. Now," Kim managed to say.

She didn't need to be told twice. Bonnie picked up her bags and quickly scurried away from where she and Kim had been standing.

Everything was turning into a mess. Ron hated her. Ron was gone. And Josh, the man who she had left him for, was turning out to be a huge mistake. All her relationship with him turned out to be was the left-overs of her high school crush. There was nothing substantial there. It was a relationship that she only now realized wouldn't last.

A chill ran down her spine as she realized that leaving Ron for Josh was indeed a massive mistake.

And the worst part is that it was all her fault. Bonnie only played a small role in this. It had been Kim's decision to kiss Josh back. It has been her decision to cast aside Ron because of all of her fears and doubts. And now what was she left with? No best friend, and a boyfriend that she knew deep down she had to break up with. Today was not a good day for Kim.

XXXXXXXXXX

After a while, Ron and the others had come down. They were all sitting around in silence, looking at the Lotus blade which sat in front of Ron.

Ron only now realized what he had done. He had revealed the fact that he had mystical monkey power. He had compromised to secrecy of the Lotus Blade and Yamanouchi. But for some reason, he just didn't seem to care all that much.

Mike was still upset about the broken window in his room. He didn't know what he was going to say about it. It wasn't as if he could tell his parents that a magical sword came flying through it while he was stoned. That just simply wouldn't work at all.

"Ron," Sean said.

Ron didn't answer. His eyes were still focused on the Lotus Blade.

"Ron!"

That snapped him out of his concentration.

"Yeah?"

"You know how you said you wanted to do missions?"

"Yup."

"You have a magic sword."

"I do."

"A magic sword that you said you can change into pretty much anything."

"That's right."

"And you have like, magical powers or something?"

"Pretty much."

"Do it. We'll be your new partners. You don't need Kim. This will be Team Stoppable."

Ron thought about it for a few seconds. He liked the sound of that. A smile crossed his face as he nodded his head in agreement.

Something told Ron he was going to enjoy trying this out.


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Note: Thanks once again to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I'm glad to see that people like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been a few days since the formation of a new crime-fighting team. It was larger than the last one Ron had been on, but would probably be less efficient. He didn't care about that though. It was all about the fun to him. It was about the thrill. He had missed it over the past few weeks.

Going on missions with Kim was part of what made his life so great back then. He used to be afraid. He used to fear the free-falling. But now he actually was looking forward to the more scary aspects of it. It had been too long in his opinion, and he craved the missions. He wanted to get his hands on evil-doers and bring them to justice. He could only hope his friends wouldn't hinder him as much as he did to Kim at times.

That was one thing that was going to be very different about these missions. He was now the alpha dog. He was in command. He was the most experienced and capable person on the team. Sure they may have had strength in numbers now, but only he was actually trained to fight. The others would have to form a three man distraction. Ron imagined it would be like something out of the three stooges. Sean actually had tech skills, but how effective would they be out in the field? If it were up to him he would be better off staying behind at mission control to feed Ron information about the missions.

There was only one problem with all of this though.

They had no missions.

They had been so excited about it all. Ron was even dressed in his standard mission gear. The four boys sat at Sean's house, sitting around doing nothing. They had expected it to be easy. But in reality they had no idea how to get missions. Even if they did, they still had no way to get to their destinations. It was quite the conundrum.

"So…" Sean said breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" Ron responded.

"We're four, no, three intelligent guys and Nick," he said as he smiled at Nick. "We can figure this out."

"Ass," Nick grinned back.

"Figure what out?" Ron asked.

"Missions."

"What about them?"

"We seem to be lacking them."

"Yeah," Ron sighed. "But what can you do about it?"

"I don't know Ron. You're the expert at it all."

Ron took a moment to digest that. Apparently he was the expert on missions in this group. It was up to him to find a way to get something going.

"I'm bored," Nick moaned.

"Ron, how did you used to get missions?" Sean asked.

"Well normally me and Kim would be doing stuff, and Wade would call up and tell us what the sitch was and get us over there."

"Who's Wade?"

"Oh he's this 12 year old super genius. He has connections with like everyone. He ran Kim's site and was the guy who got us our missions."

Sean nodded thoughtfully.

"Why do you ask?"

"Why not just call him up?"

Ron just closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"I can't."

"Why not? You have fingers. And a voice box. And lips, a tongue, and so on."

Ron smiled a bit, but it didn't cover the sad expression that was still on his face.

"No I mean I can't. That part of my life is kind of over."

"Over?"

"I can't just go talking to Wade again. We may not have had a fight like me and Kim did, but he's still on her side. How can I go to him and ask him for favors like this?"

"Because you've done nothing wrong man," Sean said sincerely. "Kim may be a bitch, but that's no reason it should affect your relationship with Wade."

"I know, but it just seems like I would be crawling back to them if I did. I'm supposed to be over all of that crap. I'm not supposed to care about my past life."

"Ron Ron Ron…" Mike said. "You shouldn't think like that. Think about how happy Wade would be to talk to you again. You were close, and I'm sure he could keep a secret."

"Maybe," Ron admitted.

"Besides, how else are we going to be able to do all this Team Stoppable stuff? Apparently without Wade we're stuck here."

"I suppose…"

"So come on man, call him up," Sean said as he tossed Ron his phone.

Ron looked at the phone for a few brief seconds before he flipped it open. It took a few seconds to remember Wade's number. Normally he didn't contact the young man in such a manner. Normally he would wait until Kim's Kimmunicator beeped. But now he was happy that Wade had told them his home phone number.

He put the phone to his ear after dialing the number. Tense seconds passed. Ron had no idea why he was so nervous. He had felt the same way out on the Middleton football field. Was he so afraid of his past life? Did Kim's betrayal really affect him so much? He just couldn't fathom why he was feeling the emotions he was right now. This was just Wade. Talking to him wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Hello?" Wade's voice sounded on the other side of the phone.

"Yo Wade! Ron here. What's up?"

"Ron?" Wade said, sounding surprised. "Hey man, it's been a while."

"Sure has. Hey Wade, I have a favor to ask."

"Uh… sure! What do you need Ron?"

"A mission."

The phone went silent for a few seconds.

"A mission?"

"Yeah Wade. You know, the whole fighting evil thing. What we used to do all the time."

"Yeah… I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well, I don't think you and Kim would work very well together now that you two had that fight."

"Kim's not coming."

More silence. It took Wade a few moments to collect his thoughts before responding to Ron.

"Uh… what do you mean she's not coming? You're going solo?"

"You make it sound like I can't handle it. I've done solo missions before. Remember the whole Ray-X thing and the library book?"

Wade still felt uneasy in this conversation.

"I don't know Ron… I don't want to be putting you in any kind of danger."

"Oh come on Wade, you know that there was danger every time we went on missions. It's not going to be any different just because Kim isn't with me."

Despite only being able to hear one side of the conversation, Mike knew something was up. He figured that this Wade character wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Ron going on missions without their precious Kim Possible. He decided to step in and make things right.

"Ron, can I have the phone for a few seconds?"

Ron raised an eyebrow to Mike, but handed him the phone regardless.

"Hey Wade my man!" Mike said cheerfully. "How are you today?"

"Who's this?"

"My name's Mike. And I just have to say, what you're doing is not cool."

"Uh… what?"

"I don't like how you're treating Ron. He's not some second class citizen you know."

"I never said he-"

"I mean come on. Talk about playing favorites here. You're going to deny Ron something he used to do all the time just because Kim isn't here?"

"It's not like that, it's just-"

Mike couldn't help but smile. He knew pretty much nothing about Wade, and his relationship with Kim and Ron. But he was just making things up as he went along, trying to paint Wade to be the bad guy. It was all part of the game.

"I mean wow man. Just wow. I know that you and Kim may be close and all, but to gang up on Ron like this? You must really hate him."

"I don't hate Ron."

"Then why are you saying he's too stupid to go on missions?"

"Hey now you're just putting words in my mouth."

"Oh yeah? Well how about you give us a mission then? It shouldn't be that hard considering you're a super genius and all."

Wade sighed and conceded. Despite the fact that Mike's claims were outrageous, he didn't want to seem unfair to Ron. After all, Ron did deserve to go on missions, didn't he? He played his part well as a member of Team Possible. So if he wanted to go save the world on his own right now, how could he deny him that?

"Alright, put Ron back on the phone."

"Suh-weet."

Mike handed the phone to Ron with a huge grin on his face. It appeared that he had accomplished his own mini mission just now.

"Hey Wade, what's up?"

"Okay Ron… I did get a hit on the site a few minutes ago that I haven't talked to Kim about yet."

"Boo yah!"

"It's a top secret lab in Denver, so it's not that far away. I can set you up with a ride from Global Justice. If I call them right now, they should be there in about twenty minutes."

"Nice man. We'll be waiting."

"We?"

"Yeah. The new team."

"Okay Ron… just be careful."

"Hey, it's me. Careful is what I am."

"That's not… oh nevermind."

"Thanks Wade. You totally won't regret this. See ya."

"Bye."

Ron hung up and looked at his assembled team with a smile on his face. There wasn't much that needed to be said. They knew they were in.

"Twenty minutes guys," Ron said.

There was a shared feeling of accomplishment among the group as they high fived each other. They were all excited about this. None of them had ever done anything remotely like this before. If any of them was nervous, they didn't show it.

Then, inspiration struck Nick.

"Dude Mike, gimmie your keys," he said.

"What? Why?"

"You'll see. It's going to be so sweet."

Mike handed Nick his car keys, who then dashed out of the house and to the car. He drove off quickly towards his house. What he had in mind was unknown to them all.

XXXXXXXXXX

This wasn't going to be an easy conversation. She knew that for sure. It didn't help that it was back in this familiar location.

Sometimes Kim just made some really bad choices. This was one of them.

Here she was once more at Bueno Nacho. When she had set up this "date" with Josh, she didn't even think about the location. She didn't even think about the déjà vu. Here she was, preparing to end her relationship with Josh at the same location she had done with Ron. Only now as she was sitting in one of the booths did she realize that.

"Wow…" she said aloud. "Smooth Possible. Very smooth."

She had been waiting there for a few minutes just thinking about what she was going to say to Josh. She decided she had to let him down easily. She knew that he was really into her. But now that she had been on a few real dates with him, she just didn't feel the same way about him anymore. He was just so unbelievably boring. He lived in a world of art that she could just not get into. It was the only world that he discussed with her.

So now she was 0-2 when it came to a real relationship with a guy. First there was Ron, whom she dumped due to her own insecurities and school-girl crush on Josh. And now there was Josh himself, who was just truly not boyfriend material. She had thought the same about Ron at one point, but was now starting to debate that decision more and more with herself.

She saw Josh enter the doors and he smiled as he made his way over to her. He took a seat across from her and smiled.

"Hey Kim, what's up?" he asked.

Kim just smiled weakly at Josh. This was so not going to be easy.

"Hey Josh. I'm glad you're here. Listen, we need to-"

"Oh Kim!" he cut her off. "Yesterday I was at this exhibit in Lowerton. The original works they had there was fascinating. You wouldn't believe the color palette that this one guy used. It was just incredible!"

"That's great Josh. But we need to talk about something."

"Oh? What is it Kim?"

"It's about us… I just don't feel that we're working out."

Josh took a few moments to digest what he had just heard.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I truly am."

What came next was nothing short of a shock to Kim.

"Okay. That's cool."

Kim looked at him in stunned silence for a moment before replying.

"Wait, what?"

"I said it's fine."

"What do you mean it's fine? Don't you realize that I just broke up with you?"

"Yeah. To tell you the truth, I wasn't feeling too good about this whole relationship anyway. You're kind of boring."

Kim's jaw lowered in shock.

"Excuse me? I'm boring?"

"Yeah Kim. You know nothing about art. I feel that I'm always the one doing all the talking in this relationship. You're just not the girl who I thought you were. Besides, now at least I can say I actually dated Kim Possible."

Kim looked at him, anger brimming on her face. She ignored what he had said about art, and instead focused on the last part.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Josh didn't lose the cocky grin on his face that he carried so often.

"Well, I was looking for the perfect girlfriend. You're Kim Possible. Do you have any idea how popular that made me at the art institute? What did you expect? Why else would a guy want to be with you?"

The anger had finally boiled over. If she had heard him right, he basically said that she was just some sort of conquest. She was arm-candy, a trophy girlfriend. That's all she was to him.

"You… jerk!"

"Oh don't be mad. Any other guy would have done the same thing in my position. I knew you were absolutely obsessed with me, so I just worked with it. In the end we both got what we wanted. Besides, you're pretty high maintenance with all your missions and stuff. I don't need that."

Kim couldn't believe it. She had just been a conquest, a prize. She felt like a complete fool.

"Listen Kim, I'm going to get going now. You take care of yourself okay?" Then he suddenly started laughing. "And don't worry. I'm sure there's a guy out there who will like you for just you."

Kim's thoughts immediately switched to Ron. He had been a guy who liked her for just her. And look how she had treated him.

Kim shook her head in disgust.

"You know Josh, there are some guys who are actually good, and care about the other person in their relationship. I already messed up when it came to that guy. I may not stand a chance at a real relationship with him anymore, but I'm determined to get back his friendship."

Josh merely shrugged his shoulders at this, and walked away.

Kim slumped back into the booth. She was feeling awful. Her relationship with Josh had been a lie from the start. He wasn't interested in her. He was interested in the idea of having her as his trophy. In her search for the perfect relationship, she ended up with none.

Her mistake was now complete.

XXXXXXXXXX

The doorbell rang.

That was odd. Who could it be?

Nick bolted to his feet and went to answer the door. Despite it not being his house, the four boys felt comfortable no matter where they were.

When he opened the door, he saw a tall thin man standing there in some kind of uniform. It was none other than Will Du. In the middle of the street was a Global Justice hoverjet.

"Uh, hi," Nick said.

"I've been waiting out here for a couple minutes," Will said with an annoyed tone. "I'm with Global Justice."

Nick stuck his head outside the door and looked around.

"Really? Where?"

Will just sighed.

"No kid, I'm part of Global Justice. I was sent here to pick up…" he paused and sighed again. "Ron Stoppable."

Nick's eyes lit up.

"Really? Sweet!"

He stepped back inside and closed the door in Will's face. He made his back to the living room where the other boys were.

"Hey guys our ride is here. Let's go."

They boarded the Global Justice hoverjet much to the disgust of Agent Du. He didn't like working with Kim Possible. He certainly didn't like working with her sidekick. This was a mission he truly didn't understand. But there was really nothing he could say about it. He was just following orders. And at least he wouldn't actually be participating in the mission with the bumbling sidekick.

In the rear of the hoverjet, Nick was very excited. All of the boys were, but it was especially true in his case. He had with him a backpack which he now began to open up. It sparked their curiosity.

"What's in the bag?" Mike asked.

"The stuff I went back home for."

"Really? Let's see it."

Nick opened the bag and showed off a pair of green things. No one was quite sure what they were.

"Check it out, I found these things in my basement!"

"Uh… what are they?" Mike asked.

"Walkie talkies."

"Let me see that," Mike said as Nick handed one of them to him. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"

"Yeah. But they're still just walkie talkies."

"Dude, they're fucking ninja turtle walkie talkies. They're shaped like turtle shells! Why do you even have these things?"

"They're from when I'm a kid."

"They suck."

"Fuck you dude. Turtle power is awesome."

Ron and Sean were laughing at the exchange between the other two boys. Ron personally had no problem with the walkie talkies, they could prove useful on the mission. It wasn't like he had a Kimmunicator to keep in touch with the other members of the team.

Upperton was not that far from Denver, and would normally take less than an hour to fly there in a commercial jet. In one of Global Justice's hoverjet's however, it would take a matter of minutes. The trip was fast for the crime-fighting foursome, and soon they were dropped off about a hundred yards from the lab.

"I don't get it," Sean said. "Why don't those Global Justice people come and help us?"

"I don't know," Ron replied. "They've always been useless. The only organization more inept than them is CTU from that TV show '24'."

"Harsh Ron, considering they just gave us a lift."

"Well, it's the truth."

"Whatever."

They continued their advance toward the building. When they got to one of the doors, they noticed that the handle had been completely destroyed. A large burnt scratch marked where the handle had once been. No one knew what to make of it except Ron. He had seen such destruction before. Now he knew what they were going up against.

Once they got inside they realized they were in the middle of a large hallway. They could either go left or right. No one had a clue as to which way was the correct one. Nick was the first to speak up.

"Hey guys, how about we split up?"

Sean glanced over at him.

"What is this Nick, Scooby Doo? We're not here to solve a groovy mystery or anything."

"I know, but we can cover more ground if we go in separate directions. Besides, we have my walkie talkie's to keep in contact."

"I hate to admit it, but he has a point," Mike stated.

"Thank you."

"Well, Ron's the leader," Sean said. "I guess it's his call."

Not used to being in command when it came to a mission, it took him a few moments to think over the question at hand. But as he thought about it more, it made sense to split up.

"Okay, we split up. Mike and Nick, you go that way," he said pointing down the right side of the hallway. "Me and Sean will go the other way. But if you guys run into Shego, don't try anything. Just contact us."

"What's a Shego?" Nick asked.

"A scary green woman who can kick your ass. Don't mess with her."

"Sounds hot."

"You know that's what I thought the first time I saw her too. But anyway, let's get going."

The team broke up and went their separate ways. The game had begun.

XXXXXXXXXX

It took only about a minute on their own for them to get distracted. Mike pulled a bag out of his pocket and presented it to Nick.

"Yo Nick. Wouldn't it be fucking sweet if we got high right now?"

"Yeah!" Nick replied. "It totally would. Did you bring anything?"

"Yeah I have this pen hitter," he said as he took out a pen that had been modified into a smoking device. It was amazing what a student could do with school supplies these days.

"Sweet. Let's do this."

Mike began to pack the hitter full of the dry green substance. In only a matter of seconds their fun would truly begin.

XXXXXXXXXX

After they had been walking down the hall a couple minutes, Ron heard the all too familiar sound of Dr. Drakken ranting. He hadn't heard it for many weeks and though he hated to admit it, he missed the sound of it. Despite the fact that it was annoying and rather pointless, it was still something that made him feel happy inside. He had missed all of this. The sneaking, the anticipation of the confrontation, the fight. He was ready for it all. He had to be ready. There was no Kim, and there was no back up.

Brandishing the Lotus Blade in his hand, Ron transformed it into a bo staff. He had no interest in spilling any blood, and he had been trained to use such a weapon during his time at Yamanouchi.

The sound of Drakken's voice was now very loud. They were right next to the room he was in now. All they would need to do is step in and present themselves. This was it. Team Stoppable was about to make it's first impact in the world of super-villainy.

Ron leapt into the room making an exaggerated war cry as he landed. Sean just walked in behind him trying not to laugh. The sudden sound frightened Dr. Drakken who let a tiny yelp escape from his lips. Shego was not fazed by the new arrival, and merely turned around to greet her adversary.

"What the, who are you and how did you get in here!" Drakken yelled in their direction.

"Oh dude you have got to be kidding me," Ron sighed. "I'm Ron. Ron Stoppable?"

"The name doesn't ring a bell, but your face does look sort of familiar."

Shego stepped forward to clear up the mess.

"He's Kim Possible's sidekick," she clarified. "Do you remember now?"

Drakken thought over it a few seconds before responding.

"Oh yes, the buffoon. Wait Shego! This must mean that Kim Possible is somewhere in the building as well!"

"Nope. Don't you remember? They had a bit of a rough breakup."

Ron looked over at Shego, surprised that she knew that much about what used to be their relationship.

"It doesn't matter," Ron stated flatly. "Whatever you came to steal, you're not getting away with."

Sean took the opportunity to use the walkie talkie to contact the other half of the team.

"Yo guys. We found them. Get over here now."

"-ant Ninja Turtles! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Heroes in a half-shell! Turtle power!"

Sean looked quizzically at the walkie talkie for a moment before finally realizing what was going on. His friends were totally stoned. And without him! But right now that was the least of his concerns.

Ron stepped forward and began to twirl the Lotus Staff in his hands trying to look impressive. It was an utter failure, as he dropped the staff to the ground with a loud clanking noise.

"Let me go get that… just a sec," he said as he stepped over to pick up his fallen weapon.

Shego just put her hand on her face and sighed.

"Look sidekick, we have what we came for. Just get out of our way and no one gets hurt."

"Not gonna happen Shego."

Shego and Drakken walked in the direction of the door, but Ron stood there blocking them. They stood there for a few seconds, staring each other down. It became apparent Ron wasn't going to move. And Shego was not about to walk around him. There was only one way it could end.

Shego lashed out with her right fist, and connected with Ron's jaw. He fell to the ground clutching his face. Sean looked on with horror in his eyes. The villainous duo were at the exit when Ron spoke up.

"Ow… you bitch!" he said as he stood up. No one had noticed the blue flash his eyes had produced.

Shego stopped in her tracks. Drakken just turned around and looked at Ron with a frightened look on his face.

"What did you say sidekick?" she asked slowly.

"You heard me," Ron said as he gripped the Lotus Staff tightly in both hands. "You want to do something about it?"

Drakken meanwhile was waving his hands violently in the air while shaking his head back and forth. Even he knew that nothing good could come from this.

Shego walked back up to Ron and slugged him once more in the face. What surprised her was that this time he didn't fall. What surprised her even more was that he hit her back.

Her eyes widened at this insult. She looked back at Ron who stood there resolutely, his face a mask of determination. She had no idea what had gotten into him, but it was clear he wasn't going to back down. If she didn't know any better, she would say he looked pissed off. Not at her, but surely at something.

"Okay you want a fight?" she asked as she dropped into a combat stance. "You got one."

XXXXXXXXXX

They had gotten the call to return. Mike and Nick had received the order to come assist the rest of the time while singing the theme to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Mike had apparently taken a liking to the walkie talkie's. It had taken a few minutes, but they had finally arrived. It had helped that there were voices to follow. When they finally stumbled into the room, what they saw amazed them.

Ron and the green woman he had called Shego were fighting. It wasn't some kind of fist fight that they had seen on occasion at school. This looked good. This looked professional. Ron and his opponent were engaged in some kind of martial arts match. Their movements were so fluid. Both were apparently well-trained in what they were doing. They had certainly never expected Ron to be able to pull off such a feat.

That's when they saw the other villain.

"Whoa! Dude you're blue!" Nick screamed.

Drakken, who had been watching the melee was once more frightened. He jumped slightly but then turned around to see another two teenagers. He took a step backwards.

"Who are you all you people!" he demanded.

"Mike this weed is like, the best shit ever! He's blue! What the fuck man!"

Mike started laughing hysterically much to the confusion of Drakken. He was still waiting for his answer. But once the two teens started laughing uncontrollably, he knew he wasn't going to get one. He merely stepped away from them.

"I'm just going to go… over there…"

Once away from the meddling teens he once more looked at the fight between the buffoon and Shego.

XXXXXXXXXX

Another fist connected with Ron's face. He was tiring. The energy he had felt at the beginning of the fight was beginning to wane. He couldn't explain it. He had been so angry when Shego had punched him. He had felt so alive. But now his strength was nearly gone. And his body had taken a beating because of it.

He didn't know how he had fought so well. He hadn't really practiced since he had been to Yamanouchi. But once he was involved in the fight it was like he was a martial arts master. He attempted a roundhouse kick which was blocked by Shego. She then smashed her elbow into Ron's nose, sending him tumbling to the ground. The fight had only lasted a few minutes. It had been an intense few minutes, but it was over now. Ron was done.

Shego was breathing hard as she looked down at her opponent. He was bleeding from his nose and lips. He stirred slightly but showed no signs of getting up. She hated to admit it, but it had been a tough fight up until the end. It was on par with what she usually faced when she fought Kim Possible. Something was very wrong with this situation, but she couldn't explain it.

She kicked him in the gut, causing him to cough up a bit of blood. Whether it was from some internal bleeding or just the blood from his lips, she didn't know. All she knew is that it satisfied her. She kicked hard again, and Ron was sent rolling a few feet as he tried to get away from the vicious assault.

Looking up she saw that two more teenagers had come. Two of them were laughing and pointing at Drakken, while the other one just stood there with a scared expression on his face. She walked over to the lone boy and suddenly raised a fist at him. The boy flinched and raised his arms to defend himself. Shego lowered her arm and walked away from him.

"That's what I thought…" she muttered to herself.

The two villains made their escape from the lab complex leaving behind a broken sidekick, two stoned boys, and only one who could clean up the mess.

Sean walked over to Ron who was coughing. He crouched down at his friend, who opened his eyes and was relieved to see that Shego was gone.

"Ron. Dude. Are you alright?"

More coughing. But soon Ron was able to catch his breath and respond.

"Ugh. Not really. Just like, uh, call that number that Will Du left with us. We need to get home."

Sean nodded in agreement as he took out his phone and dialed the number.

Regaining his composure, Ron sat up and looked around. He had failed. The team had failed. Their first mission was a bust. But he had learned a very important lesson.

No more missions against Drakken and Shego.


	8. Chapter 8

Authors Note: You guys are awesome for reading this story. Seriously, you are. I appreciate how many of you have reviewed, and just how many have read it in general. Thank you very much.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

The pain was real.

And he loved every second of it.

Ron Stoppable was not some freak who got off on pain. He was not one to go out there and seek someone to punch him in the face. But the beating he had taken on the mission just an hour ago made him feel so alive. He had missed that so much.

It was just like the football game a few weeks earlier. He felt the need to hit something. He needed the physical release, for whatever reason. He had definitely gotten it this night. Shego had probably never expected him to put up the kind of fight that he did. She was more accustomed to seeing him run around scared for his life. That was not the man that he was anymore however.

Since his break-up with Kim he had changed. What exactly had occurred, he did not know. But there were times, especially when he was angry, that he suddenly felt so alive. That was when he felt his best it seemed. Sure the drugs were fine, he enjoyed them for sure. But they didn't seem to be able to top the feeling of the thrill of the fight. The mission was a part of his life he felt like he needed now. The only problem was explaining his failure to Wade. Would he be given another mission?

The failure of his friends didn't concern him. He wasn't angry at them in the least bit. Despite the fact that Mike and Nick had gotten high during the middle of it, Ron knew deep down that they would have been able to do next to nothing against Shego. Sure, they could have tackled Drakken to the floor and suppressed him. But either way, Shego would have beaten them all. After Ron, there was no one in the room who stood a chance against her.

Ron looked in the bathroom mirror at Sean's house at the damage he had received during the battle. The bloody nose had been cleaned up and wasn't a factor anymore. His busted lips had since formed scabs, and were visibly still present. His main concern though, was the massive black eye he had received during the melee. His right eye looked absolutely horrible and there was no way he would be able to hide it. It definitely wouldn't heal by the time Monday came in just a couple of days. He would probably get called down to the principal's office because of some concerned teacher. Ron would now have to explain his missions to a whole new set of academic administrators.

He exited the bathroom and headed towards the living room where Sean was. Nick and Mike were sleeping, the weed combined with the mission had apparently made them quite tired. Ron was very thankful it was a Friday night. With it being 1 A.M. already, he didn't exactly relish the prospect of waking up early. It would be good to sleep late, even if it wasn't in his own home.

Sean looked up from his computer magazine as Ron came into the room. Ron couldn't suppress the smile on his face. Sean was truly confused at why he was smiling. Anyone else would have been in a pretty awful mood. But that's just not who Ron was. He was different and unique for sure.

"Hey Ron, how are the battle scars?" Sean asked with genuine concern.

"Well, I've had worse," he said before pausing for a second. "Actually I haven't. I never got my ass kicked like this before on a mission with K.P."

"How is that possible? You've been on dozens of missions."

"Well before I was usually just the distraction. This is one of the only times I've ever actually gone out there and fought."

Sean raised his eyebrows at that.

"You looked like a pro out there Ron. As they would say in the online world, you were one-three-three-seven."

"Thanks." Ron smiled. Sean had just called him 'elite'. Ron knew his online lingo thanks to the many hours spent playing Everlot.

"I mean seriously Ron, that was amazing. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"All part of the magic," he shrugged. "It comes and goes. I don't really know how to control it."

"Yeah, that monkey stuff you were talking about before is just weird."

Ron nodded in total agreement. He had been through a lot in his life, and never would have suspected that there was such a thing as mystical monkey power.

"So it's cool with your parents that we're staying here tonight?"

"Yeah it's no problem. They seem to like you a lot too. You're not annoying like Nick, or a jerk like Mike."

"So what am I?"

"After seeing you walk away from a beating like tonight, you're fucking awesome man."

"Really it wasn't that bad. But thanks for the compliment."

Sean then shifted uncomfortably as his expression changed.

"About the missions Ron, I think they may be a bit too… physical for me. And I don't want to speak for the other guys, but I think they would feel the same way."

Ron considered Sean's words. Deep down he knew it was the right call. It took a very special breed of person to be able to do the things that he and Kim do.

"Yeah man, no problem," he smiled. "I understand."

Sean seemed relieved that his friend didn't think any less of him for no longer going on the missions.

"Oh by the way, I was looking around and I found something for the pain."

Ron looked surprised as Sean handed him a bottle of liquid. It wasn't something he was familiar with. Then again, he had had a lot of new experiences with his new friends.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"Vodka."

"Oh. Isn't that like, illegal or something?"

"Isn't being a vigilante illegal too?"

"Probably."

"Anyway, my brother is 22 and in college so he gets this stuff for me whenever we need some. I have a few more bottles of stuff in my room. Not the best selection, but for a bunch of 18 year olds, I think it's pretty good."

"I see."

"So come on, try it out, if anything just to dull the pain in your face."

Ron took the bottle and sniffed the top of it. It certainly didn't smell all that appealing to him. He eyed the liquid cautiously before putting the bottle to his lips and taking a swig. His immediate reflex was to tear the bottle away from his mouth, so he spilled some of it on his shirt.

"Yaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuugggggggh!" he gagged.

Sean burst out laughing at Ron's reaction.

"Wow dude, you should have seen your face. It was priceless. Seriously do it again."

"Hey man, it was my first time drinking this stuff," Ron said defensively. "I'm sure you weren't any better."

"Keep it down dumbasses!" a newly awoken Mike said angrily from the couch.

Ron and Sean looked at each other before they both started laughing. Then Ron took another drink from the bottle hoping for better results this time.

"Yaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuggggggggggh!" he gagged again.

"It's an acquired taste I guess," Sean shrugged.

The two continued to talk and drink for a little while after that before they too drifted off to sleep. The floor was surprisingly comfortable for Ron, and Sean had provided an extra pillow and blanket for his friend. Mike and Nick received no such luxury as they had both fallen asleep long before on the couch and lazy boy chair respectively. Sleep came easily for Ron that night, but he knew that when he woke up he would need to face Wade, and hope that he would be able to continue going on the missions he craved so much.

XXXXXXXXXX

The place was quiet and empty, as it should have been. It was late at night after all. It was a Saturday too. People had things to do on Saturday nights. It was the perfect time for sneaking around to do underhanded things. This type of activity usually required the perpetrators to actually be sneaky and quiet, but that didn't stop a certain doctor from being as loud and annoying as he possibly could.

"Oh Shego isn't this wonderful?" Drakken sang. "I mean I am really on a roll lately. This is just going to be so great I can't stand it."

Shego wasn't as thrilled.

"Okay so what are we looking for again?" she wondered.

"The hypertherm plasma cutter."

"I don't get it Dr. D. This is the second plan you've had in the past two days. Are you just trying to do as many as you can so the odds of you failing won't be so high?"

"Since when have any of my plans ever failed Shego?"

"Since always?" she sighed.

"No no no! It's not that my plans fail. It's just that a certain redheaded teen manages to screw them up. That's different than them actually failing on their own."

Shego hated to admit he had a point. If not for the intervention of Kim Possible, probably around ten percent of his plans might actually stand a chance of succeeding.

"So what's this hyper cutter thingy supposed to do anyway?"

Drakken stopped and puffed out his chest. He was brimming with pride.

"The hypertherm plasma cutter is a newly fangled piece of technology developed by the worlds leading scientists of plasma technology."

"Yeah but what does it do?" She asked again.

"It… well, I would assume it cuts things using plasma on an apocalyptic scale. Imagine the possibilities?"

"You really don't know what it does, do you?"

"I… okay maybe I don't. But just think Shego. With a name like hypertherm plasma cutter, what else could it possibly be other than a weapon of awesome destructive power?"

"Okay, but Dr. D., I think this place is a hardware store."

"Of course it would appear to be that way," he lectured. "What better place to house a weapon with the force of the hypertherm plasma cutter than in a lab guised as a common provider of tools?"

Drakken broke off the conversation as he began to look on the floor for some kind of hidden door that he insisted would lead to the lab. According to him, secret labs always have a hidden door in the place that they use as a disguise.

Shego meanwhile was browsing along the shelves, not really searching for what Drakken was looking for, but more just to stave off boredom.

"Oh look," she said. "Nuts are only five cents each here. They're seven cents at Planet Tool."

Drakken stopped his search for the door and turned to look at Shego.

"Focus on the prize Shego. I have plenty of nuts you can play with once we get back to the lair."

Shego's eyes lit up at the sound of Drakken's last sentence, along with her fists.

"Excuse me?" she yelled.

"What I meant by that was…" Drakken said as he shrunk in fear before the angry woman. "Uh… please don't hurt me."

Shego calmed down when she saw something on one of the shelves. There it was, the hypertherm plasma cutter just sitting there in a box. Right next to the other one. And another one. And so on, and so forth. There were stacks of them lining the shelf. Shego could not suppress her smile.

"Designed for a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair…" she read softly to herself as she read the box.

She looked over at Drakken who was still looking like a complete buffoon looking for the hidden door that Shego now knew didn't exist. Time to spoil his fun once more. It was all part of the job anyway.

"Hey Dr. D!" she shouted. "I found it!"

"What? You did?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Catch."

Shego threw one of the boxes in his direction, and he was just barely able to catch it without slipping and falling to the floor. He held it above his head as a trophy.

"Yes! It's mine! All mine! Great work Shego. I'm giddy with excitement. You hear me, absolutely giddy!"

"_Did he just say giddy?"_ Shego thought to herself.

"Now let's leave this place and head back to the lair for phase three of our operation."

"Before you do that why not take a look at the box." she suggested.

Drakken began reading the box. His face of happiness and excitement quickly turned sour.

"It's capable of cutting metal faster and more accurately? And what is double-arcing? This isn't a doomsday device at all! It's just a tool!"

"Yeah, a tool found in a hardware store," Shego said, her words dripping with sarcasm. "Imagine that!"

Suddenly a new voice cut through the air much to the surprise of the two villains.

"Sorry Drakken, but whatever you came here for, you're not getting away with."

Shego and Drakken turned to see the form of none other than Kim Possible.

"Well look at that. Kim Possible," Shego said. "At least it's not the ex-boyfriend this time."

"Why must there be teenagers wherever we go Shego?" Drakken asked.

Kim was puzzled by Shego's words.

"How do you know that Ron and I broke up?"

"Oh trust me princess. All of the villains were thrilled when we heard that Team Possible broke up. Believe it or not it was big news."

"And what did you mean 'this time'?"

Shego's eyes lit up with interest. She knew something that Kim didn't. Knowledge truly was power. In this case, it gave her something to rub in her arch-foes face.

"You didn't know that the ex-sidekick is doing missions now? He brought an entire group of buffoons to make fools of themselves. I gotta say, I enjoyed beating him down."

A whole range of emotions flooded Kim's mind at this new information. On one hand she was filled with pride for Ron. Despite their break-up he was continuing to fight the good fight against the villains of the world. He wouldn't let a little fight get in the way of doing what was right.

On the other hand, she was both angry and fearful towards him. Angry because he had continued to do these missions without telling her. He wasn't properly trained to do these things on his own. He was a sidekick, he wasn't capable of fighting villains on his own, was he? Sure he had surprised her with his football skills, but he couldn't be hiding other traits could it? That led to the fearful part. What if he got hurt? It was her fault that he got involved in missions in the first place. He was trying to do them on his own now because of what they used to do together. If he got injured, she would feel awful.

But she couldn't think about those things right now. She had to get back to the task at hand. And that was preparing for a fight with Shego.

"Okay Shego, I'm ready for you. Bring it."

Shego put her hands up innocently before she spoke.

"Look Kimmie, we're not here to steal anything. Okay we were, but it turns out it was just a tool and not a doomsday device."

"In a hardware store?" Kim said sarcastically. "Really?"

"I know that's what I said too. Blame the doc over there, not me."

"Still, you're not getting away that easily."

"Oh I think we are."

Shego grabbed hold of one of the shelves in the middle of the store and yanked down hard on it. It wasn't attached to any wall or the floor, so someone with her enhanced strength managed to bring it down with ease. Kim had to dive backwards in order to avoid getting crushed by the shelf, and hit the ground hard. By the time she had recovered Shego and Drakken were gone.

Kim blew the hair out of her face.

"Well that's just peachy."

Kim knew that she would have to contact Wade about Ron. He was the only person who could have provided him with a mission.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sunday mornings were just so great for Ron. They were so relaxing. He loved sleeping late, even more so than other people. Not that he was lazy, but it was just part of who he was to relax.

But he had something to do today. He had to talk to Wade. The super genius would have no doubt found out about the failure by now. So Ron would just have to explain himself and his actions the best he could. At least Wade wouldn't be able to see the black eye he had received during the mission. That would definitely be cause not to give Ron another try.

As he dialed up Wade's number he felt a bit of a rumbling in his stomach. He wasn't sure if it was just nerves, or if he was very hungry. Probably a little bit of both.

"Hello?"

"Hey Wade. How's it going?"

"Better than for you I suppose. I hear Drakken and Shego got away with what was in the lab."

"Yeah, I guess. But that totally wasn't my fault. I mean, that's Shego we're talking about man. I can't be expected to go one on one with her, can I?"

It was hard for Wade to disagree with that.

"Well Ron that may be true but…"

"Come on Wade, you know that if it was against anyone else I would have totally been able to pull it off. What do you say, hook me up with another mission?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh it looks like Mike was right about us. You were never my friend, only Kim's…"

"Ron you know that's not true," Wade sighed. He didn't like being manipulated like this, but really was there much else he could do? He was very aware that Ron was saying this so he would get a mission.

"So how about it?" Ron asked.

"Okay Ron, one more mission. But if this one goes badly there can't be any more excuses."

"No worries Wade. So what's the plan?"

Wade typed on his computer to look for the latest hit on the website. He found one and was happy to see it wasn't Drakken and Shego. He had sent Kim on a mission the night before to stop them. Despite the fact that they had not taken anything, Kim still didn't manage to bring them to justice. It seemed like these days neither of them were having much success when it came to crime-fighting.

"Okay, here's the situation," Wade began. "Duff Killigan stole an experimental weed killer. Your job will be to go to his lair and retrieve it."

"All this for weed killer? This hardly seems worth the time."

"The creators are apparently very angry it was stolen. They want it back now."

"Okay whatever. When's Global Justice going to be here?"

"Around ten minutes. Good luck Ron."

"Thanks."

XXXXXXXXXX

Wade was a very busy man today. A little more than an hour ago he had sent Ron off on another mission. Now he was getting a call from Kim. He didn't know what to expect really. There had been no new hits on the website today, and she was probably still recovering from the prior night's mission.

Her face appeared on his screen, looking a bit anxious.

"Wade? What's this I hear about you sending Ron on a mission Friday night?"

Wade suddenly got a bit nervous. Kim was not supposed to have found out. Drakken and Shego must have told her last night is what he figured. Either way, she knew now. So he had nothing left to do but work some damage control for the situation.

"Yeah, I thought there was nothing wrong with that. He is half of Team Possible after all. Even with the break-up, he deserves some of the missions."

"This is Ron we're talking about here. He's not trained for this kind of stuff like I am. What if he gets hurt? Would you be able to live with that?"

That was something Wade had not really thought about. He just figured Ron would be able to handle it. Apparently he had a lot more confidence in his friend than Kim did.

"Well… then you probably won't be too happy to know that he's on another mission right now."

"He's _what_?"

Wade smiled nervously at Kim's reaction.

"It's only against Duff Killigan. I think he should be able to handle it."

"Wade set me up with a ride right now. I'm going after him."

"The only craft that will be able to get you there in time is G.J. But they won't be too happy about two rides in one day."

"I don't care Wade!" Kim growled. "Ron could be in serious danger. I need to get over there as soon as I can."

Wade typed into his computer some more, and set up a ride for Kim. It was a busy day for the young genius. Hopefully it would turn out well.

XXXXXXXXXX

Breaking into the lair had been the easy part. The Lotus Blade was one powerful blade. It had been able to slice through the door as if it were paper. It had after all carved the Yamanouchi school out of a mountain. Ron should have expected no less from a magical sword.

Now he had to find Duff Killigan. The lair was fairly large, and mostly under the mountains. Many villains these days had lairs in the Rocky Mountains, it just suited them well. They were so well hidden and protected. But when you had someone like Wade to do some high tech scans on the area, it was almost a certainty that the villains would be found.

Ron stalked through the halls of the lair, intent on finding his target. He was in a foul mood. Just looking at all of the money, probably stolen money, that went into lairs made him angry. There were so many other things that the money could be used for. There were so many good causes out there, so many people who needed help. And these freaks who called themselves super-villains decided to squander it all in these pathetic take over the world plots. It all just made Ron angry.

He caught himself getting worked up over it and immediately put his game face back on. Usually Kim would be there to keep him in line when he got distracted. Now it appeared he would have to do it himself. Luckily he had lots of experience in seeing how it was done.

"Keep your head in the game Ron!" he sneered sarcastically to himself. Then he began to laugh a bit. "Come on Ron, quit playing around! This isn't the time to daydream Ron!"

He chuckled to himself after saying those phrases. He rather liked his Kim impersonations. It took a lot of effort to be as bossy as she was.

After a few more minutes of walking he reached what he figured to be the main control room. Surely enough, there was Duff. He was sitting there alone by a computer with his back facing Ron. There was no one else in the room, as Duff rarely hired any help or henchmen. Upon closer inspection, Duff was playing a game of solitaire on his computer. Ron smiled. When he was bored sometimes he would do that as well. But this wasn't the time for bonding.

"Yo Duff-man!" Ron shouted. "There have been some reports of a missing weed killer. And I hate things that kill weed, so I'm here to retrieve it."

Duff turned around with a confused expression on his face.

"Ach lad, why would ye hate things that kill weeds?"

He apparently didn't understand what Ron meant.

"Nevermind. Where's the weed killer?"

"I'll never tell ye boy! Ye've got a lot of balls coming into me lair alone. Now let me introduce ye to mine!"

Ron was about to mention how disgusting that was, but as soon as Duff dropped a handful of his exploding golf balls onto the floor Ron knew what he had meant.

"Fore!"

Ron scrambled to avoid the explosive balls that were sent his way, all the while making his way closer to Duff. Brandishing his Lotus Staff, Ron managed to get right next to Duff and parried the golf club that the deadly Scotsman had aimed at Ron's head.

The two fought a duel with their weapons, bo staff against golf club. Ron's anger was only increased when Duff managed to sneak a blow past his defenses, and struck him in his already injured face.

"You asshole!" Ron screamed in pain.

"Do ye give up yet laddie?" Duff laughed.

Duff received his answer when the end of Ron's staff connected with his stomach, sending the Scotsman back a few paces. Ron then brought the staff down on his left shoulder, causing him to drop his golf club. Another blow connected with the side of Duff's head and sent him crashing to the floor.

"Does it look like I give up?" Ron screamed as he breathed heavily. "Huh! Does it!"

Ron then transformed the Lotus Staff into a golf club of his own.

"This should be super fun, beating you with your own weapon of choice."

Even though Duff was down, Ron didn't care. He smashed the Lotus Blade turned golf club into the torso of Duff again and again, each time getting a satisfying cry of pain out of the golfer.

"Where!"

Smack.

"Is!"

Smack

"The!"

Smack.

"Weed!"

Smack.

"Killer!"

By this point Duff was no longer even conscious. He had taken enough blows to knock him out. The violence had felt good. Very good in fact. These days it took such extremes to make him feel alive. He didn't feel remorse for his actions either. As far as he was concerned he was doing the public a favor by beating up villains such as Duff. He wouldn't feel guilty about helping humanity.

Ron took a few steps while admiring his handy work until he hit against a wall. He leaned heavily against it and sank to the floor, tears in his eyes. As he sat on the floor he pulled his knees up to his chest, not knowing why he was even crying.

"What's wrong with me!" he screamed to no one in particular.

Then the answer struck him. It was Kim yet again. The missions just reminded him of her so much. Despite how much he tried, thoughts of Kim never left his mind. He still loved her. And he hated himself for that.

"Why can't I just get over her!" he cried out.

Reaching into his large cargo pocket he pulled out a gift from Sean. A half full bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey was his reward for a job well done today. Opening it up, he put the bottle to his lips and took a drink.

"!" he gagged once more. He just could not get used to the taste of alcohol. But that didn't mean he didn't like it.

After a few minutes he stood up and went to search for the weed killer. Much to his amazement Duff had left it out in the open right in the central control room. Ron smiled to himself. Despite how bad he was feeling about Kim still, he had accomplished his mission.

He didn't want to worry about his thoughts for Kim right now. Besides, he had friends to help him get over her. Mike, Sean, Nick, Mary Jane, and his newest friend… Jack.


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone for all of their support. With this chapter I now have over 400,000 words posted on this site. I hope you've enjoyed all of the stories, including this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

It was obvious to Kim that Ron had already been here. As she knelt on the roof of Duff Killigan's lair, she noticed that the entry point to the HVAC ventilation system had been torn open. That was something else that she noticed. Normally it would have been done with finesse thanks to her laser lipstick. But here it had been brutally taken apart, almost cut apart. There were small scraps of metal lying beside the entry. Had Ron used an axe to hack it open?

She didn't let the manner in which Ron had entered concern her any longer than that however. She had a mission of her own here. Two, now that she thought about it. Not only was she going to reinforce Ron, but she was also going to retrieve whatever Killigan had stolen in the first place.

As she crawled through the ventilation system she could only hear the noise of her own movements and breathing. Normally when infiltrating a villain's lair there would be the sound of ranting or plotting. In this case she fully expected to hear Ron's cries of terror as he fled from the explosive golf balls of Killigan. But instead she heard nothing. It concerned her. What if Ron was hurt? What would she do if she came upon an injured Ron? Of course she would help him, but even then would he be happy to see her?

Soon Kim saw the light from one of the rooms from a hole in the ventilation shaft and realized that must have been where Ron had come out. Steeling herself for the worst, she slipped out of the shaft and instantly dropped herself into a combat stance. Looking around she saw nothing. There were no people, and certainly no threats. It was still eerily quiet.

Kim began to look around the lair, not really knowing what to expect at this point. It wasn't as large as one of Drakken's lairs, so it contained far less rooms than she was used to. She figured it must be because Killigan isn't one of the big time villains like a Drakken or Dementor. Soon though she came upon what must be the main room of the lair. It was larger and contained several computer terminals full of information that she didn't really understand. One of them actually displayed the Wikipedia article on Tiger Woods.

That was when she saw a body laying on the ground. It wasn't Ron, that was for sure. Of Ron there was no sign. Slowly she approached it until she realized it was none other than Duff Killigan. He only stirred slightly as Kim got closer to him and knelt down beside him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she gently shook him.

"Duff?" she asked warily.

The villainous golfer stirred more before turning over and met Kim's eyes with his own. They widened with terror as he quickly tried to gather up his strength and dragged himself as far away as he could from Kim.

"No please! Don't hurt me! Stay back! I'm warnin' ye!" he cried out.

Kim took a step back herself, mostly in shock. She wondered why Duff had reacted like that. Never before had a villain been truly terrified of her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said gently as she put her hands in the air to try and calm him down.

That didn't remove the scared expression from his face however. It was only now that that Kim realized that Duff looked like a mess. He had two black eyes and there was dry blood all around his nose and mouth. If there were any other injuries that he had, Kim couldn't see them because of his clothes. Her concern now included the villain she was meant to stop as well as her former partner and best friend.

"Duff, what happened to you? Where's Ron?"

Duff fidgeted around for a few moments before he answered her question in a manner that wasn't very surprising.

"Who?"

Kim sighed. It was so typical that no one knew who Ron was.

"You know, blonde hair, brown eyes, freckles? My part-… former partner?"

Duff thought carefully for a few seconds before he started nodding feverishly. His eyes were still full of fear.

"He did it. He did this to me!"

Now it was Kim's eyes that widened. She didn't believe what she had just heard. She didn't want to believe it. How could Ron have done something like that? That wasn't something her Ron would do. He was a happy and gentle person. He wasn't one to beat someone up like this. Even in her battles against Shego, neither of them had ever made the other bleed. No one had ever taken a serious beating like Duff had apparently taken.

"You're lying!" she screamed to Duff, which only made him flinch further. "Where is Ron!"

"I'm tellin' ye the truth." he whimpered. "He came here and beat me with a magical golf club!"

Kim didn't know what to think. Surely he had to be lying. What person who knew Ron Stoppable could believe that he would inflict such harm on another human being? And with a "magical golf club" no less. He had to be lying. Or was he? Kim never would have expected him to play football the way he did. Like it or not Ron had changed.

She realized that he was no longer the bumbling sidekick that he used to be. He could take care of himself now. But could he really be responsible for the state that Duff was in? One word came to mind.

Zorpox.

"Okay Duff, let's say I do believe you," Kim said. "If Ron did this to you, where is he now?"

"I don't know. I woke up and he was gone. Now ye're here."

Kim decided not to press the issue any further. She obviously wasn't going to get anything else useful from Duff. So now she had another dilemma on her hands. Before she was worried that Ron wasn't able to handle the missions and that he could get seriously hurt. That fear was now the furthest thing on her mind. If Ron did what Duff said he did, and what her heart feared he did, then she seriously needed to speak to him. The missions aren't about hurting people, they're about helping people. And though he may have accomplished whatever he had set out to do here today, he had left the villain in a very bad state. And if he had somehow reverted back into Zorpox, then the situation just got a whole lot worse. However there was really no reason to believe he had, so she wouldn't let herself worry about it just yet.

Kim pulled out her kimmunicator and immediately contacted Wade. There was still a matter of securing Duff and bringing him to justice.

"Hey Wade, what's the ETA on the G.J. prisoner hoverjet?" she asked.

Wade typed a few keys on his computer before replying.

"Ten minutes tops Kim," the young genius replied. "By the way, did you find Ron? Is he okay?"

Kim frowned at the last sentence.

"I… I don't know."

"What do you mean? Is he there?"

"No. I think he's physically okay. But there's a much bigger problem on our hands if Killigan is telling the truth about this sitch."

"What happened?"

"Killigan got roughed up pretty badly. And I think Ron is the one responsible for it. If that's true we need to talk to him about this. Violence isn't part of what we do."

"I know Kim, but what are you going to do? You two aren't exactly on speaking terms right now."

Kim knew he was right. It would be hard to speak with a person who wants nothing to do with you. They hadn't spoken in about a month. And each and every day she thought about it and it hurt her. She had lost more than just a boyfriend on the day she broke up with him. She had also lost her best friend. For that there was no replacement.

"I'm just going to have to try his cell," she sighed. "I just hope he stays on the line long enough to talk about… well, everything."

"You mean you and Josh?"

"Yeah. There's just been so much going on the past few days. I'm really hoping we can fix out friendship. How many times do you think I'll need to apologize to him before he forgives me for doing what I did?"

"I think you mean 'How many nacos will I need to buy him,'" Wade smiled.

Kim smiled back. If there was one thing that both of them knew, it was that the easiest way to Ron's heart was through his stomach. A month's supply of free nacos might just be the right way to go on the road to forgiveness. She knew that it wouldn't be nearly enough on its own. But it was at least a start.

"Alright Wade, thanks for listening. I'm going to get going now, G.J. should be here any moment. I'll let you know what happens with Ron."

"See ya Kim."

The screen went blank as she ended the transmission with Wade. Kim sighed as she looked back at Killigan, who was still lying on the floor over in a corner. She figured he must be pretty badly hurt if he still hasn't recovered by now.

Her attention was taken off of the villain as she heard the sound of the Global Justice hoverjet outside the lair. Now all that was left to do was get her ride home, and speak to Ron. It was late, so she decided that she would call him tomorrow. That would also give her some time to compose her thoughts and think about what she was going to say. She was beyond nervous about the whole situation.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was the day after his latest mission and Ron was still angry about it. He wasn't angry about anything really related to the mission. Overall it had been a success. The experimental weed killer had been recovered. He still didn't understand what was so valuable about the stuff. But the way he figured it, if the creators were so desperate to get it back it must be important.

What Ron was angry about was his breakdown. He actually cried. All this time since the breakup with Kim he had not cried once. He refused to. He had been the victim in it all. He had no reason to cry. He was the one who deserved to be bitter and angry about it. And he still was. But the fact that he had shown weakness because of it still worried him. He absolutely refused to feel any worse about the situation.

That was why he was here now. His friends always had a way to make him feel better. Whether it was the antics and arguments between Mike and Nick or the substances they provided, it didn't so much matter to him.

Ron had discovered that the sure cure to thinking about Kim was to get high. More recently, another cure had presented itself, that being getting drunk. It was a way to escape the horrible aspects of his life. He didn't care about the facts of it all. He didn't care about what the D.A.R.E. program had taught him in elementary school. Who were they to tell him what to do? They didn't know the pain he was in right now. Maybe drugs and alcohol were the answer for him.

Ron took another drink from the bottle of Jack Daniels and gagged once more. His friends laughed every time at his reaction to the alcohol. It confused them that despite the fact that Ron thought the stuff tasted disgusting he still drank it. For Ron the end justified the means. As long as it meant getting drunk he would tolerate the taste.

"So then I asked her to the dance, but she said she was already going with someone," Nick complained. "How lame is that?"

"Not as lame as that boring story you just told us," Mike answered.

"Hey fuck you dude. At least I'm making the effort to get girls."

"Better to not try at all than fail time after time like you."

Ron chuckled at the events he was listening to. Spending time here doing what he was doing was most definitely the best way to spend his time. He didn't need to worry himself over trivial things like homework. That was for students who actually stood a chance at becoming something in their academic careers. Ron wasn't one of those people and he knew it. After all, wasn't that one of the reasons Kim broke up with him?

Ron knew that he could accomplish things in life, but he just didn't care about academics. Look at what he had done on the football field in such a short time? In another game against Lowerton the prior week he had scored another touchdown. His nickname had become 'Unstoppable'. He just kept his grades up so he could compete on the field.

Suddenly he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. It startled him to feel it. The others noticed his sudden discomfort.

"What's going on Ron?" Nick asked.

"Vibrating in my pants…" Ron said as he laughed due to the tickling sensation the phone was doing.

"Dude that's fucked up."

"Not like that you pervert!"

Ron pulled out the phone and read the caller ID. He almost dropped the phone as he read who it was.

"It's… it's Kim." He finally managed to say.

There was stunned silence in the room as the other boys realized what that meant.

"You mean the hot chick?" Nick asked.

"Stop calling her that dude, seriously!" Ron said.

"Well sorry," Nick said sarcastically. "I'm only speaking the truth here."

"It seems like we've had this conversation before," Sean said.

"Whatever, are you going to answer it?"

"Uh, no?" Ron said. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Dude, gimmie the phone!" Mike said. "I'll do it."

"What are you going to say?"

"Trust me Ron. It'll be sweet."

Ron handed the phone to his friend. He had no idea what to expect, but he trusted Mike. He had after all convinced Wade to give him a mission.

"Uh, hello?" Mike said.

"_Um, hi. Who is this?" _Kim asked.

"You called me. Who the fuck are you?

"_This is-"_

But before Kim could answer, Mike cut her off.

"It doesn't matter who you are!"

The other three boys began to laugh at one of the many catch phrases of 'The Rock' that Mike had used. Although Ron was a GWA fan, it hadn't stopped him from watching the WWF back in the late 90's and early part of the decade.

"_Right… is Ron there?"_

"I don't like your tone. Just who do you think you are anyway?"

"_My tone? Who is this!"_

"Joe. Joe Mamma."

"_Ha ha very funny. Now put Ron on the phone."_

Ron suddenly had an idea.

"Mike," he whispered. "Call her 'little missy'."

Only one person had called Kim little missy before. It had happened when Team Possible was out to protect a top secret cookie recipe from Shego and Senor Senior Jr. It had seriously tweaked Kim back then, and Ron was hoping it would do the same now.

"Look here little missy, there isn't anyone named Ron here. Now I suggest you stop harassing me before I call the cops."

There was brief silence on the phone before Kim answered.

"_Who the heck are you calling 'little missy'! You had better watch it or I'll find out who this is and make you regret calling me that."_

"You're a feisty one aren't you? Can my friend take you to the school dance next week?"

Kim was getting frustrated now.

"_Darn it, just put my friend on the phone right now!"_

Kim only realized afterward what she had said. She had called Ron her friend.

Mike looked at the phone for a second before looking at Ron, and then back to the phone.

"What?" Ron asked.

Putting his hand to the speaking part of the phone, Mike looked at Ron again.

"She just called you her friend."

Ron sat there for a few moments before he burst out laughing. The others soon joined him.

"Wow, 'friend'," Ron said. "That's fucking hilarious man."

Mike put the phone back to his ear before speaking to Kim again.

"Apple. Aflac. Bobble."

Mike hung up on the very confused Kim before tossing the phone back to Ron.

"Dude, what did that mean?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. It was just random gibberish."

"It probably confused the fuck out of her," Nick added.

"I know it did with me," Sean said.

"Anyway, I just had this great thought Ron," Mike began. "You know how you can change your sword into stuff?"

"Yup."

"You can change it into anything, right?"

"As long as it's metal."

"Can you change it into a pipe?"

Ron took a moment before he answered. This was the Lotus Blade they were talking about. It wasn't some cheap toy or plaything. It was a sacred weapon of war. It was a magical sword that carved a school from a mountain. Surely it deserved more respect than that.

Or not.

"Sure!" Ron said enthusiastically.

Ron changed the Lotus Blade into the form of a pipe, much to the delight of the others. Soon they packed it full of weed and began to smoke from it. None of them noticed the subtle vibrations that the sword turned pipe was emitting.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sensei sat deep in meditation outside of the Yamanouchi school. It was always so peaceful and tranquil there. It was the perfect spot to collect ones thoughts and relax, or in his case, meditate. The lessons were done for the day, and his students had done well. So Sensei knew he could indulge himself in the meditation that he loved so much.

That was when a stinging sensation struck him. It wasn't from an outside source however. It came from within his own mind.

Sensei's eyes shot open as he realized what was happening. There was only one explanation for this. It was the Lotus Blade.

And it was in pain.

He quickly stood up and began to head back toward the school. Something was very awry with Stoppable-san. Something had to be if the Lotus Blade would cry out like it had. What it was, Sensei could not say. But he would make sure to find out.

After several minutes of searching he finally found the person he was looking for. As he approached Yori, she became aware of him and the look on his face. She knew that something was wrong.

"Sensei, what is the matter?" she asked, concerned.

"I fear that Stoppable-san has begun to tread a path that will soon put him in very grave danger."

"What do you mean? How do you know this?"

"As I sat in my meditation, I felt the Lotus Blade. It was hurt, and felt insulted by its master. I fear Stoppable-san may be abusing his powers."

"How can this be Sensei? The Lotus Blade is just a sword. How can it do the things you say?"

Sensei closed his eyes deep in thought before answering.

"The Lotus Blade is no ordinary weapon. You have witnessed its power when Stoppable-san came to visit us for a week a couple of years ago. The truth is that the blade is much more than that. It forms a bond with its master. While not a sentient being, it is very aware of what it and its master do."

"What would you have me do, Sensei?"

"You must travel to Stoppable-sans home and bring him back to Yamanouchi. His powers are currently raw and not channeled. His strength, agility, and aggression increase greatly when his powers are activated, and he cannot yet control them. If he is not careful his rage may become out of control. He is as much of a threat to others as he is himself."

"I shall do my best."

"I know you will, Yori. You are my finest student. It is for that reason, as well as your own friendship with Stoppable-san that I send you on this most important mission."

Yori bowed to Sensei before preparing herself for a trip to Upperton. Having "secret ninja tickets" as Ron had called them certainly had their benefits. She would be able to fly to Upperton the next day and then find Ron. She only hoped that he would come willingly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was stoned. It was a feeling he so did enjoy. The swirling sensation in his head made him feel so good. The weird feeling in his limbs made him want to laugh. In fact, everything seemed to make him want to laugh. He was also very hungry. That wasn't new of course, as Ron was almost always hungry. But the feeling was only enhanced when he smoked. He was also very thirsty.

That was when he stumbled out of Nick's room and began making his way toward the kitchen. On his way he bumped into Nick's sister Sarah who was a year younger than them, and accidently knocked her to the floor.

"Ow, watch where you're going you- oh, it's just you Ron."

"I, uh, sorry."

Ron did his best to help her up, but in his current condition he wasn't very strong or focused.

"Are you okay Ron?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm, um, I'm, uh, what?"

Sarah sighed.

"You're high, aren't you?

"Maaaaaaaaybe," Ron smiled sheepishly.

Sarah grabbed Ron by the hand and led him to the kitchen table where she forced him to sit down.

"Look Ron, I know you're a good guy. You shouldn't be getting involved with people like my brother. Mike's always been an asshole, but Sean used to be a good guy too. And now look what they did to him?"

"What? Nick's cool man."

"No, he's a piece of crap. End of story. Don't let him drag you down to his level. Seriously."

"Seriously?"

"Um, yeah. Seriously."

Ron began to laugh hysterically, leaving Sarah with a confused expression.

"Sorry. It's just you sound like Motor Ed. Seriously, you do," he said as he began to laugh more.

Sarah got up from the table, dismissing his raving about a "Motor Ed" as the side effects of the drugs.

"Okay… I'm just going to go now. If you remember any of this conversation when you come down, please take it seriously. You have a future Ron, don't let these guys fuck it up for you."

After the conversation, Ron forgot why exactly he was there in the first place. So he decided to back to Nick's room and resume their deep conversation about bread and crackers.

XXXXXXXXXX

So the attempt to contact Ron had failed. No big. Kim wasn't about to give up. When there were so many things she needed to discuss with him, she had to be persistent. Luckily she had come up with a plan. If Ron refused to speak to her directly, she would just have to meet him on neutral ground. Luckily she knew exactly how to do so.

She wasn't going to turn into a stalker or anything like that. She wasn't about to take a trip to Upperton to track him down. Rather, she would find him in a situation where she would benefit others. It was what she did after all. All she had to do was get Wade to set it up.

She pulled out her kimmunicator and contacted her young tech guru.

"What's up Kim?" he asked.

"Wade, you know how you give Ron those missions now?"

"Yeah. By the way, what happened with the talk?"

"It didn't. That's why we need a new strategy."

"That involves the missions?"

"Bingo."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to set Ron up on a mission, and get me on a separate transport to the same spot. Make it so I show up a couple minutes after him. That way he will have no choice but to listen to me."

Wade began typing on his keyboard before looking back to Kim.

"Sure, it may be a bit tricky to coordinate everything, but it shouldn't be that much of a problem."

"Thanks Wade, you rock."

Kim once again cut the transmission before lying back on her bed. Whether it was tomorrow, or a week from now, she would talk to her former best friend. She just needed to. She hated being without him, and she was desperate to get back to how things used to be. She only hoped that he would listen to her this time.


	10. Chapter 10

Authors Note: Once again many thanks go out to those who have read and reviewed. I'm happy that so many people are enjoying this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been a few days since his last mission and Ron was getting restless. He had so few places to vent his increasing levels of anger and aggression. The football field and weight lifting could only do so much. He had truly become a force on the field, where he was more likely to plow through defenders than evade them as a running back normally would.

No, this just wouldn't do at all. He needed the missions. They were a legitimate way to unleash his rage. Most of the time he didn't even know why he was angry anymore. All he knew is that many times now he would just get angry for no reason. He felt bored, restless, anxious. He felt the need to get out and do something. And that was where the missions came in.

Surprisingly, his anger was not directed at Kim. He could only get so upset over what Kim had done over a month ago. In fact many times now he just laughed at the past situation and how upset he used to be. Perhaps that was the acceptance step in the five stages of grief. Perhaps that was his way of handling the pain it brought.

He missed her sometimes. Not the current image of her that he had in his mind of course. He didn't miss the liar, the cheater, the Kim who had betrayed him. He missed the old Kim. He missed his best friend. Sure, he loved his new friends. Who wouldn't? They understood him in a way that only guys could understand other guys. They introduced him to a whole new world, one he never would have dared touch had he still been with Kim. It was something he genuinely enjoyed these days too. Always the optimist, he could at least note that as something that came out of the whole Kim mess.

And that's what he was doing right now. He was sitting in Mike's room, with his newly repaired window. Mike had of course forgiven him about the earlier Lotus Blade incident. There was absolutely no way of knowing something like that would have happened. That was one thing that Ron liked about his new friends. No matter how much they insulted and messed around with each other, they were always ready to forgive them for their misdoings. That was what true friends did after all. They forgave the mistakes of those who had wronged them.

"So Ron, going to the dance with anyone on Friday?" Sean asked.

Ron took another hit from the joint before passing it onto Mike. After holding it in for a few seconds he exhaled it before responding to his friend.

"No one to go with. I mean, I don't really know anyone at the school or anything."

"Yeah but dude, you're like a popular kid now."

"Me? Popular?" Ron asked sounding surprised.

"Yeah man. You're the big star football player guy. Probably the most popular guy on the team."

"I never thought about that."

"Well you have three days left to ask someone. I mean, homecoming is a big thing. And then the game on Saturday? Huge weekend for the school."

"Since when do you care about the school?"

"Fuck homecoming, and fuck dances," Nick chimed in.

"Says the guy who couldn't get anyone to go with," Mike smiled.

The rest of the boys laughed as Nick mumbled something under his breath.

"Hey, go with Nick's sister. She's kinda hot."

"You son of a bitch!" Nick yelled at Mike.

"He's right you know Ron. And I think she kinda likes you too," Sean added.

"Stay away from my sister asshole!"

"She did talk to me the other day about stuff…" Ron said thoughtfully.

"No. No. No. Don't even think about it man."

"What do you care Nick?" Mike asked. "Don't you and your sister like hate each other?"

"That doesn't mean I want some guy trying to get in her pants tomorrow night."

Ron put an expression of mock hurt on his face at those words.

"Oh come on, Ron's not like that and you know it. Ron wouldn't know what to do if she was sitting on him naked."

"Hey!" Ron said, this time genuinely insulted.

"Sorry man, but in all fairness, you wouldn't ever try to snake your way into a girls pants. You're too nice of a guy."

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

Mike took a while before responding. The weed was starting to take an effect.

"Um, because I thought my way was better."

It didn't take long before the others too felt the effects of the drug. With the amount they had smoked combined with a room full of smoke, it took around ten minutes before they started to lose track of the conversation.

"So, I, um, am going to ask who again?" Ron asked.

"Sarah," Mike said.

Nick began to laugh.

"Dude that's my sisters name too!"

"Idiot," Mike laughed as well.

"Oh wait, you're talking about my sister. That's right. You fuckers."

More laughter erupted from the boys.

"Dude Ron check it out," Sean said. "I was reading the other day, and there are like, um, these guys who do drugs."

"No, really?" Mike said sarcastically.

"Shut up dude I'm not finished."

"Well hurry up then."

"Okay so there are these guys who like did drugs, and then killed people."

"Killed people?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, they were like assassins and stuff."

"Sweet."

"So um, what was my point again? Oh yeah. They were called like, hashassers, or hash something. Hashashin, that's it!"

"That sounds like assassin!" Nick said.

"No shit, that's where it came from!"

"Anyway, Ron, on your next mission, you need to like, um, do drugs and stuff. That would be totally sweet!"

Ron began to laugh as an effect of the drug combined with the talking. Even the most boring or mundane conversation could make someone laugh who was under the influence of weed.

"Sounds like fun," Ron said.

And truth be told, it did sound like fun to Ron. These days he was seeking greater thrills from his life. He sought not only new ways to unleash his disturbing amount of aggressive energy, but also new ways to feel alive. Luckily the missions fulfilled both of those. Perhaps doing drugs while on a mission would be a good way to get the next thrill from his life.

"So you're gonna do it?"

"Yeah. Hook me up with some weed before a mission, and I'll become one of those hash dudes."

"Dude, you know what we're like?" Nick asked."

The others didn't reply vocally, but just looked at him waiting for a response.

"We're like those kids from That 1670's Show sitting around smoking the peace pipe. We even have a foreign kid."

"Hey fuck you," Mike retorted.

"What, I didn't say anything bad about Bulgaria."

The four continued to smoke and chat, talking about the future, TV, or whatever else came to mind. But one thought that kept crossing Ron's mind was the red headed girl from That 1670's Show, and how he was once friends with one too.

XXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Ron had gotten home his cell phone began to vibrate. Looking at the caller ID he saw it was Wade, which could only mean one thing. He smiled as he answered.

"Yo Wade. Mission time?"

"Hey Ron. Mission time indeed."

"Who, what, where, and when?

"Dementor has apparently gotten his hands on the pandimensional vortex inducer… again. You're going to be heading out to his lair in the Swiss Alps, about 30 miles outside of Bern. Your ride will be there in twenty minutes."

"Global Justice?"

"Yeah, considering you didn't do any favors for anyone, G.J. is the one source I can use for rides for you."

"Hey, I did plenty with Kim that could count as favors."

"Yeah, but the problem is they only really remember Kim. Setting a ride up for you alone would be difficult."

"Typical."

"Anyway Ron, just be ready."

"Yeah, I just hope it isn't Du this time."

"Out of my control Ron. Sorry."

"No b-, no problem man."

As soon as Ron hung up he gathered up his mission clothes in preparation for his assignment. Armed with the Lotus Blade he was quite confident he would be able to defeat the Teutonic terror known as Professor Dementor. This was also the ideal opportunity to unleash his aggression on someone deserving of it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was in the middle of doing homework when she heard the tell-tale beeping of her kimmunicator. This could only mean one thing. It was mission time. But more importantly, it was Ron time.

What would she say?

Since coming up with the plan to meet him on a mission, she had had days to come up with what she was going to say to him. An apology would of course be the first thing. He deserved one after all. Looking back on it, it amazed her just how much of a jerk she was to her former best friend. Some friend she had been. She had been so wrapped up with how perfect Josh was that she forgot how perfect Ron was for her. Not just in a romantic way, but also in a friend way. They were seemingly meant to be together.

Each of them had faults, no doubt. But it was the other person who would make those faults bearable. Ron had a tendency to not take things seriously and be lazy, so Kim was always there to help motivate him and keep him going. Kim on the other hand tended to be impatient and an overachiever and Ron was there to make her sit back and relax, and enjoy the ride known as life. Kim knew one thing for sure, she missed her friend.

"What's the sitch Wade?" Kim asked, already knowing the answer.

"I set up Ron with a ride to Dementor's Swiss lair about ten minutes ago. He should be leaving soon."

"What about my ride?"

"It was tricky to get two Global Justice rides this close together to the same place, but I managed."

"Why does it need to be G.J.?"

"Their hoverjets travel at near supersonic speeds, so you can get on the other side of the world fairly quickly. And since that's what Ron is using, you need the same thing."

"Makes sense."

"So anyway like I told Ron, your ride will be there in about twenty minutes. So you'll be ten minutes behind him, should give you enough time to assist him if he needs the help, then get on with your plan."

"Thanks Wade. This really means a lot to me."

"No problem Kim. That's what friends are for."

The screen went blank and Kim breathed a heavy sigh. This was it. This was her chance to try to rebuild her friendship with Ron. She couldn't, wouldn't mess this up. Outside of her family, no one in the world meant more to her than Ron. She only hoped that he still felt somewhat the same about her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Freefalling. It had always been something Ron had hated. Why, he couldn't say for sure. It's not as if it would make much of a difference how far into the jump he was if his parachute decided to fail. Maybe it was just the feeling of utter helplessness. The harsh stinging wind whipping against his face didn't feel too good either. But he had promised himself to make an effort to not pull his cord right after bailing out of the plane. He had many flaws and quirks, no doubt about that. But they wouldn't be so glaring if he at least made an effort to change his ways.

The landing was a bit harsher than he would have liked, but at least he was within walking distance of his target. Scanning the area there didn't appear to be any sentries around to stop him or inform the people in the lair of his approach. At least that was something that was going his way.

Ron swiftly and silently made his way to the lair and proceeded to use his grappling hook to get to the roof of the lair. As he had done in his previous mission against Duff Killigan, he took the Lotus Blade and decided to hack his way through the HVAC ventilation system. He crawled inside and proceeded to wherever the light was coming from.

Using his blade once more, he cut through the metal of the vent and descended to the floor in a not so graceful manner. Picking himself up off the floor and dusting himself off, he realized he was in what appeared to be the main control room of the lair. Dumb luck or dumb skill, whichever one they wanted to attribute his success to, Ron had found his target.

His presence did not go unnoticed by Dementor and his henchmen, however. He had cause a bit of noise with his landing, but even if he had not there was still no way that he would have been able to evade detection.

That was when Ron felt the affects of the weed he had smoked begin to kick in. He knew he only had precious minutes until his reaction time would be severely affected by the drugs. But he wasn't going to become a Hashshashin by going into the mission clean.

"Vhat is this, ze sidekick?" Dementor asked in surprise.

"Hey dude, I'm no ones sidekick anymore," Ron countered.

Dementor waved his hands to dismiss what Ron had said.

"It does not matter. Henchmen, ATTACK!"

Slowly Dementor's gray-clad henchmen rose from their seats and began to move in towards Ron.

In typical henchman form, they had decided to attack Ron one by one.

"_It's a good thing Dementor is too cheap to hire competent goons_," Ron thought.

The first of the henchmen charged headlong at Ron, who merely sidestepped the sluggish man and threw him face first into the wall about ten feet behind him. He was soon followed by the second man, but Ron decided not to let him off the hook so easily. He thrust his elbow into the face of the oncoming henchman and was rewarded with the sickening crunching sound of elbow connecting with cartilage. The man in gray stumbled backwards before receiving a boot to the abdomen and quickly collapsed to the floor in agony holding his ruined and bleeding nose.

The third henchmen had snuck up behind Ron and tackled him to the ground, forcing him to drop the Lotus Blade. Ron was able to flip over on his back trying to get the man off of him, but his arms were quickly pinned to the floor. The henchman smiled in satisfaction, knowing his superior bulk prevented Ron from escaping. What he didn't expect was the savage head-butt Ron delivered to his nose, relieving the pressure on the young mans body. This was followed by a knee to the mans groin, which sent him slumping sideways off of Ron. Pressing his advantage Ron stood and brutally kicked the stomach of the downed henchman, incapacitating him and leaving him laying beside his bloody companion.

Ron went and picked up the Lotus Blade and transformed it into its trusty staff form. Gripping it tightly in both hands he looked at the remaining henchmen with a glare in his eyes, as if warning them beforehand not to approach him. The henchmen did look at him more warily now after seeing what he had done to their companions.

But of course, that didn't stop the goons from trying.

Another henchman ran at Ron only to receive one end of the Lotus Staff into his gut which forced him to double over in pain. Wasting no time, Ron took the staff and smashed it over the back of the hired thug.

With a fourth henchman out of the fight, Ron was left only facing one, who visibly flinched at the loud screaming of Dementor in German. Ron didn't understand what he was saying, but by his tone it couldn't be anything nice.

Deciding to take the offensive for once, Ron rushed at his opponent holding his staff in a two handed grip, and proceeded to swing it as hard as he could. The henchman tried to block it with his arms and succeeded, but in the process his arms were of course injured. No longer able to use them to defend himself, Ron was left with a clear shot at the henchman's head, which he gleefully took. With that swing the last henchman was out of the fight and Dementor was now defenseless.

It was a good thing the fight ended when it did, because now Ron was completely stoned. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his bottle of Jack Daniels and took a swig from it. After he was through gagging, he put it away and looked at Dementor.

"Vhat's wrong sidekick, can't handle you're liquor?" Dementor asked playfully.

"What's it to you… you… yellow guy," Ron asked before he started laughing.

"I do not understand, vhat is so funny?"

"I dunno man. You're just like, whoa, and stuff."

"I see…"

"Now here's the fun part," Ron grinned as he stumbled over to Dementor. "Now I get to hurt you!"

A look of fear took over in Dementor's eyes as he heard these words. He looked on at his fallen henchmen and realized that the sidekick was a very real threat. He also had no problem hurting those who stood in his way. That left only one option.

"Very vell, I surrender."

"You surrender? SURRENDER? There's no surrendering in baseball!" Ron screamed. "Or is it crying… I can never remember which."

"I'm afraid I do not understand… again…"

"You want to understand, understand this!"

Ron smashed the Lotus Staff into Dementor's torso, causing the tiny man to double over and hold his side. He looked up into Ron's glazed eyes, with terror in his own.

"I told you I surrender!"

"Well, how about this. I don't care!"

Ron brought the staff down once more on his helpless opponent, forcing Dementor down to a knee.

"Speaking of baseball…"

Ron changed the Lotus Staff into a metal baseball bat. Ron looked at his new weapon with pride and took a batting stance with the bat in both hands.

"Now batting… uh, whatever number he is, Todd Helton!" he said as if acting like a public address announcer. "I guess it would be more effective if I were left handed. Oh well."

Ron took a hard swing at Dementor which brought the villain down once and for all.

"And what's with that fucking helmet of yours anyway. You look so stupid with it! Why do you wear it!"

Ron knew he wouldn't get an answer from his fallen foe. He was just venting his frustration and anger. Hurting others dulled his own pain.

He took another swing at Dementor, causing the villain to curl up in a feeble attempt to defend himself. But as long as they were the only people involved in this fight, Dementor stood little chance of causing Ron to stop.

Ron raised the bat once more, until he heard a voice he never expected to hear.

"Ron!"

It sent chills down his spine. His entire body froze; his fingers lost their grip on the bat which fell to the floor. He couldn't move for a few seconds. Slowly but surely, he turned around to see the source of his discomfort. And there she was.

Kim.

"Ron what are you doing!" she said horrified.

Ron didn't answer. He just stared at her. Even if he hadn't been stoned, he doubted he would have been able to come up with anything to say.

Kim walked over to the two, the entire time having to walk around fallen henchmen. As she approached Ron, she began to notice the details of his appearance. What she saw terrified her.

His eyes were glazed and bloodshot. Underneath them were large black bags, probably due to lack of sleep. His hair was a mess, even more so than she remembered. But his eyes, there was just something so different about them. No longer was there the goofy, happy go lucky friend she once knew. Now she could only see a mix of anger and sadness in them. It truly made her feel depressed inside to see him this way.

"Ron… what have you done to yourself?"

Instead of getting any kind of answer she was expecting, Ron began to laugh. This reaction of his shocked Kim, who was expecting some kind of anger from him directed toward her. Instead of that however, his reaction had only caused confusion.

"Dude check it out. It's _the _Kim Possible!" he said as he pointed at her and laughed.

Kim didn't know who this "dude" was that Ron was talking to, and it was probably better if she didn't ask.

"Ron, are you okay?" Kim asked, concerned.

"Kimmie Kimmie on the wall, who's the fairest one of all. 'I am I am!' said the duck. What the fuck you're not a duck!"

"Ron, you're scaring me."

"Ron. Ron? Ron! Ron… Roooooooooooooooon. Ronnie! Ron!"

Ron said his own name in a variety of pitches and accents trying to find one he liked. Eventually he settled on one that sounded sort of like Kim's own voice.

Kim moved closer to Ron and was very worried about him. Although she had never done drugs herself, she was a senior in high school. She had been around people who had done drugs before, such as Junior and Big Mike.

"Ron, are you… high?"

Ron began to laugh some more.

"Kim Kim Kim, the question is, are you high?"

"That doesn't make sense."

He laughed.

"Sure it does! Did you eat my nacos?"

"What?"

"I can't… find them. They were in my pocket," he said as his eyes looked off to the side in thought. "Oh wait wait, no, I was, um, I was going to get them after the mission."

"I don't get it."

"Would have been such a waste too. You would have thrown them up anyway. You cheerleaders are good at that kind of stuff, aren't you?"

Ignoring the intended insult in her direction, she moved closer to Ron.

"Look, I don't trust you getting home on your own. Let me help you."

Ron laughed more.

"Are you sure? It's a long walk and swim."

"We're taking a Global Justice hoverjet."

Ron was about to say something, before he stumbled and collapsed to the floor. Kim was quickly at his side and helped him to his feet. Putting one of his arms around her neck, she slowly began to walk towards the exit.

"It's okay Ron, just walk slowly with me, and we can get through this."

Supporting Ron was taking a toll on Kim's back, and she was slumping as a result. It didn't go unnoticed by Ron.

"Dude Kim, you would make a horrible Victorian gentleman guy. Your posture is horrible!" he laughed again.

Kim once more ignored Ron's stoned remarks and continued to make her way towards the exit. She decided that now would not be the best time to talk to him about their relationship, or lack there of. She would wait until he wasn't under the effects of drugs. That would be the best way to go. Talk to him when he was good and ready to, and not force it on him right now.

Lost in all of this was the fact that Dementor, his goons, and the pandimensional vortex inducer were still back in the lair. Both had forgotten about it in their combined shock of seeing each other, and just the situation as a whole. Kim was very scared for her friend and what had become of Ron, but she felt better knowing that he was in her arms now. It was only then did she realize that Ron was passed out. Despite the fact that he was, it felt good in a way to be caring for him like this. She was determined to get to the root of what was going on with him, and she would be there to help and support him every step of the way.


	11. Chapter 11

Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone who cares about this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron awoke groggily to find he was lying on his stomach. This was a new experience for him. In all the times he had gotten high in the past, he had never passed out like that. But on that mission he must have been totally stoned. That was the only explanation he could come up with. Then it hit him. Mission?

Kim.

Kim had been there. He didn't quite remember all the details about it, but he knew that she was there. How and why he couldn't say. But it was the first time he had seen her in about a month. What must he have looked like to her? It wasn't every day that the great Kim Possible got to see a stoner in the middle of his act. Ron smiled as he imagined what the look on Kim's face must have looked like. The very thought of it was priceless. He knew for a fact that she would never be into such things. She must have been absolutely repulsed by the very thought of Ron Stoppable doing drugs.

As he thought about these things, he flipped onto his back, not yet realizing where he was. It was a bed, which was for certain. But whose bed he didn't know. Looking around he realized it wasn't his room. It was a very familiar room, but not his. He slowly pulled himself out of bed to realize he was still in his mission outfit. At least whoever brought him here had the decency to keep his clothes on, not that being without his pants had ever troubled him much in the past. Suddenly memories started to flood back to his mind and he put the pieces together.

He was on the mission, about to finish off Dementor, when Kim had stopped him. Then she said that she would help him get home, and she was carrying him out. That was all he remembered from that night. So that had to mean that Kim had brought him home. But if this wasn't home, that meant it could only be one place. He was in Kim's house.

Looking at the clock on the desk, it was almost seven in the evening. That surprised Ron greatly. He had not only slept through the entire night, but also through most of the next day as well. Not that it was a new feat for him or anything; those who are lazy often find ways to accomplish such things. He had slept through the entire day on more than one occasion before. But to do so in Kim's guest bedroom just didn't seem right to him.

That's when he noticed something else on the desk. It was a piece of paper with some writing on it. Kim must have left a note for him. He smiled at the thought. Even when they were fighting, she had the common courtesy to let him know what was going on. That was Kim for sure. Always doing the right thing no matter what.

He picked up the note and began to read.

_Ron,_

_Don't think this is over. We have a lot to talk about when I get home. Unlike some people, I have a responsible life to live that includes school. I'll be home sometime after cheer practice and then some errands I need to do. Try not to eat too much of our food while I'm gone._

_-Kim_

Ron laughed out loud at the last line. Had he been awake sooner, he probably would have raided the Possible's refrigerator for some snackage. Kim just knew him too well. Oh well, it wasn't like he planned on staying much longer anyway. He had better things to do than talk to Kim about whatever it was that she had planned. She was probably going to yell at him for going on missions without her, or something like that. He crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it in the nearest trash can. No reason to make a mess in the place he was a guest at after all.

"Sorry Kim," he said to himself. "Gotta go. I have a date with Mary Jane tonight. Wow did that sound lame, or is it just me," he then asked himself.

Ron started down the stairs and made his way towards the front door. It was sort of eerie being in this house after so long, and after such bad blood between him and one of its residents. This was his second home, and on some days, his first. A place so full of happy memories and moments, but no longer. Now those memories just brought him pain as he remembered what life used to be like. But life couldn't be like that any longer. Things had changed so much between he and Kim, and he wept inside thinking about it. It would be wonderful if things could change, but how could they? They had grown too far apart, or at least that's what he thought.

Suddenly the front door opened only a few steps before he reached it. That's when he saw her.

"Kim?"

"Ron!"

Ron didn't quite know what to expect at this moment. Was she going to be angry? Happy, sad, disappointed? Any emotion possible was one that he could expect to gush from Kim right now. After all, anything was possible for a Possible.

"Did you just wake up?" she asked him.

"I uh, well…"

"You did, didn't you?"

"Kind of."

"Unbelievable," she said as she shook her head.

"Yeah. So, I was just leaving…" he said as he started to walk past her.

But that was when Kim grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Whoa whoa whoa Ron," she said. "We need to talk about so many things. There's so much I have to tell you about us."

"Not really in the mood K.P."

"Seriously Ron. So much has happened since you left. I need to talk to you. And we need to talk about you too."

"Sorry Kim. Not interested."

"Don't make me force you to listen."

"Oh what, am I your hostage or something?"

A mischievous smile spread across the features of Kim.

XXXXXXXXXX

The lone figure garbed in pure black silently made its way from the house. Tonight had been a failure.

Yori was looking for the whereabouts of Ron. However he was not home. That had been a disappointment to her, to say the least. During their last meeting she had shown him some affection in a way she had never shown another boy before. She had left him on that note, and sometimes wondered what he thought of it. She wondered if he ever thought about her anymore. She wasn't in love with the boy or anything like that, but she did sort of have a crush on him. After all, he was so sweet and caring. He would make any girl happy, and that girl would have to be a fool to let him go.

But the mission wasn't about her personal feelings for him. This was purely business. Sensei had ordered her to bring Ron back to the Yamanouchi School for more training, and something a bit more troubling than that. Yori did not like it one bit when Sensei had later said that he had "defiled" the Lotus Blade. That concerned her greatly. The boy she knew would never do anything to desecrate such a sacred object.

Yori breathed a heavy sigh as she contemplated her next move. She couldn't very well hang around outside of his room all night. She would have to find a motel and stay there until the next day, when he would hopefully be home. Although there was no time table to accomplish this mission, she wanted to do it as quickly as possible. So she would return the next day, and hope that her friend would be there.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You can't do this Kim! It's kidnapping!"

Ron stoppable struggled against his restraints in vain. He was up in her room as of now, tied to a chair she had brought up from the kitchen. In his attempt to leave, he had made Kim to try to stop him by force. Not afraid of a confrontation these days, he wasn't afraid of her. But she had proved to be too fast and too skilled for him. She had been able to bind his arms until she found something suitable to tie him up with. After that she had marched him to her room, and then brought the chair up. The last step was actually tying him to the chair so he couldn't get out of her room. Apparently, she really wanted him to stay.

"Look, if this is the only way we're going to be able to talk, then I'm more than willing to do it."

"But but-"

"No buts Ron," Kim cut him off.

"This just isn't right!"

"You're right. This whole sitch isn't right. That's why we're here."

"What?"

"Consider this to be your intervention."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. "I can't invent things. Who do you think I am, Leonardo Dicaprio?"

Kim smiled and shook her head.

"Ron that's wrong in so many ways I don't know where to begin."

"What do you mean?"

"First of all, this is an intervention, not invention. This is where people confront you about your problems."

"It could have confused anyone Kim," he retaliated.

"And second, you're thinking of Leonardo da Vinci, not Leonardo Dicaprio."

"Close enough. And by the way, that's two. Not many."

"What?"

"You said it was wrong in 'so many ways', but you only named two. That's a couple, not many."

"Now is so not the time to be getting technical," she groaned.

"You started it."

"Because you were wrong!"

"And now you are too."

"Moving on…"

Kim stopped for a second and realized that this was just like old times. Well, minus the part of him being held hostage in her room. It was nothing but an argument over almost nothing, just like they used to do. Silly technicalities that wouldn't concern any normal person. But they were both far from normal. She missed this. She missed Ron. That's why it was essential that she talk to him about their relationship. She so desperately wanted to talk with him again.

But it wasn't only their relationship that he was here for. He had a major issue with drugs that she discovered the prior night. Not only that, but his use of violence on missions. She didn't so much mind that he was going on solo missions. But it was the way he was handling them that tweaked her. They weren't vigilantes like the Fearless Ferret. They were, emphasis on were, Team Possible. They didn't do harm, only good.

"Ron," Kim said gently. "You're here because of a very serious problem that I discovered last night. It's something we need to talk about."

"What's the sitch?" he asked, noting the reaction that Kim gave him at the use of one of her catch phrases.

"It's about you and… and-"

_Ding dong!_

Both teens looked towards Kim's door as they heard the doorbell ring downstairs. Kim couldn't mask her disappointment, because she knew what was going on.

"Oh shoot," she said. "I forgot, some of the girls from the cheer squad thought it would be a good idea to come here tonight and watch a movie. Something about a bonding experience or something."

"Good, maybe they'll call the cops and get me out of here."

"No Ron, I don't want this getting any bigger than it is. They can't know you're here."

"I'll scream," he protested weakly.

"Well in that case…"

Kim went over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. She took out a sock and went over to her desk to get some scotch tape. Then she turned her attention towards Ron.

"Kim? What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't scream, silly."

"No, I changed my mind. I won't mmmmmmmfffffffff."

Ron didn't get a chance to finish his thought as Kim stuffed the sock into his mouth and then proceeded to tape around his head so it would stay in place. After she was finished, Kim warmly looked into his eyes, which made Ron remember the Kim that he loved.

"Now you stay up here and be good," she told him. "I'm going to go get rid of them. I'll be back in a minute."

XXXXXXXXXX

Racing down the stairs, Kim felt guilty due to the fact that she had to tie up and gag Ron in order to get through to him. But it would be worth it in the end. It just had to be.

_Ding dong!_

"I'm coming!" Kim yelled as she neared the door.

As she opened the door she saw the faces of Tara and a couple of other cheerleaders.

"Kim!" Tara squealed as she hugged her captain.

"Oh, hi Tara," Kim said nervously.

The cheerleaders made their way into the house, leaving Kim at a loss for words. She didn't know how she was supposed to tell them they all had to leave. But it was important that she did. It was for her and Ron's sake.

"Look, girls, I'm sorry but-"

"We brought Titanic!" Jessica said excitedly.

"Titanic?" Kim asked.

"You know, for the movie?"

"Yeah about that…" Kim began. "I think we should wait for another day until we do this."

"No way Kim," Tara said sternly. "The squad needs this bonding experience. There is absolutely no way we're leaving until the movie's over. Right girls?"

Both Jessica and Hope nodded their agreement. Kim sighed as she realized that Titanic was a long movie. And if she had to sit through it…

That meant that Ron would be stuck in that chair for a very long time. Unless of course, she let him go and he snuck out during the movie. She decided that would probably be the best idea.

"Hey, I'm going to go away for a few minutes." Kim said.

"Nope. Park it, Kim. I know how you are. You're going to sit right here with us. No sneaking off."

Kim sighed in frustration as Tara forcibly sat her down on the couch as the DVD was popped in.

"By the way Kim, what took you so long to answer the door?" Hope asked.

"Oh nothing, it's not like I have Ron bound and gagged in my room if that's what you're saying."

The other girls looked at her with confusion before they burst out laughing.

"Yeah Kim, I could have told you that," Tara said. "You're not that weirky."

"Weirky?" Kim wondered.

"Weird and kinky."

"Heh, yeah. Of course not."

The movie began. Kim only now remembered how much she hated Titanic. Her mind had been so preoccupied by the Ron situation, that she had not registered that fact that they were watching that movie. This was so not good. Kim already felt her eyelids getting heavy as the old woman began talking on the TV screen. It would seem odd to some that she didn't like the movie. But Kim wasn't a fan of sappy romances like this.

Kim closed her eyes as the movie went on. After a few minutes she was awakened by Tara.

"Kim, what are you doing? Are you sleeping through Titanic?"

"I-"

"Seriously Kim, how can you not like it? This is like, _the _movie."

No no it's not that!" Kim lied. "I was just, uh, resting my eyes until the good parts. I want to be wide awake for those, now don't I!"

Tara didn't look totally convinced by her answer, but was satisfied enough as she looked away. Kim really didn't get why girls liked Leonardo Dicaprio so much in this movie. So he acted romantic. Good for him. But real romance wasn't like that. Real romance wasn't perfect. She was already well aware of that, with her two failed romances in less than two months.

Kim once more felt the desire to sleep begin to tug at her. She decided to rest her eyes for a few minutes, and maybe then the other girls would be so into the movie they wouldn't notice her getting up to go set Ron free. It was a good plan. She closed her eyes once more and this time there was no interruption. Only the blissful peace of sleep through a boring movie.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Kim awoke it was still light out. That was good, she must not have slept that long. But as she looked around, something was wrong. Something was very awry. Where were the other girls? They were gone. Fearing the worst, she dared to look at the clock.

Oh dear. This was so not good.

It was six in the morning. That meant…

Ron!

"_Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I forgot about Ron!"_ her mind screamed.

Kim quickly got up off of the couch that she had fallen asleep on and rushed toward the stairs. On her way she met noticed her father sitting at the kitchen table. He looked up from his newspaper ant saw the look of panic on his daughters face.

"Kimmie-cub, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Sorry no time dad!" As she rushed past him.

Mr. Possible just smiled as he went back to his paper.

"Ah kids these days."

Kim couldn't believe it. She had slept nearly eleven hours. That was so unlike her. Especially on the couch where she wasn't even lying down. This was going to be another thing that she would have to beg Ron to forgive her for.

Kim ran up the stairs to her room and noticed her door was still closed. That was good, no one knew that Ron was there all night. That was also bad, because that means Ron had been there all night.

She opened the door and without even thinking raced over to him and grabbed him in a tight embrace. Despite the good intent, it didn't turn out all that well. Ron had been sleeping at the time, and was suddenly awakened with a lot of physical force. His muffled screams weren't very loud but succeeded in getting Kim's attention.

"Ron, I am so sorry!" she said to him.

More muffled words came from his mouth. Now that he was awake and aware of the situation he had something to say.

Kim went over to her desk and opened a drawer to get a pair of scissors. She cut through the tape and removed the sock from his mouth. It didn't take long for Ron to speak.

"Bathroom!" he wailed.

"What?"

"Bathroom bathroom bathroom!" he continued as his legs began to squirm about.

After a second Kim realized what he meant. He had been tied up in her room since the early evening of the prior day. He haden't had anything to eat or drink since then. And that was big for someone like Ron. He also had not had a chance to use the bathroom since then, and Kim could only imagine what it was like for him at the moment.

Kim cut through his restraints as fast as she could. As soon as she was done Ron sprinted as fast as he could down Kim's attic room stairs and towards the bathroom. She of course didn't follow him, but rather sat down on her bed and buried her face in her hands. This was not going well at all. What had begun as an attempt to save Ron was turning into more reasons for him to dislike her. How would he ever forgive her for this latest thing?

After about a minute she heard Ron's voice from just below the stairs. He actually sounded quite amused.

"You know Kim, you're lucky I didn't make a big wet sticky mess last night. And as much as I love being tied up in your room all night… Oh hi Mrs. Dr. P."

As Ron had been walking back to Kim's room, he didn't notice the form of Kim's mother walking out of her own room. She raised an eyebrow curiously at Ron, not knowing what to think of what he had just said.

"Good morning Ron… it's been a while since I've seen you around here."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck nervously. That surprised him. He never used to be nervous around Kim's family.

"Oh well you know. Moving to Upperton and all. Hard to… uh… come here these days."

"Well you should find a way to do so more often," she smiled at him. "The boys really miss having you around to play video games with. And I know Kim has been miserable the past few days. I guess it took a few weeks for her to let her grief finally show about you moving."

Well this was an interesting twist. Apparently Kim had not told her parents about their fight. Ron wondered what else she hadn't told them. Did they know they weren't dating? Did they know about Josh? Ron decided to probe for information.

"So…" he said casually. "Have you heard from Josh lately?"

Mrs. Possible looked off in deep thought for a moment before responding.

"Josh… Josh Mankey? Oh no I haven't seen him since he had that date with Kim a couple years ago. He seemed like a nice boy. But to be honest, I feel a lot better about you dating her than him."

Jackpot. Ron had found out all he needed to know. He didn't plan on using this information for anything in particular, but he still wanted to know. He liked knowing things.

"Mom!" Kim suddenly yelled as she came down the stairs. Apparently she had heard the conversation as well. "I'm just going to take Ron here and go back upstairs."

Kim gently placed her hands on Ron's shoulders and prodded him back up the stairs into her room. She shut the door after her, and Ron sat down in his former hostage chair, while Kim sat on her bed.

"So, you never told them?" he asked.

"No…" she admitted.

"Why not?"

"How could I Ron? They love you. Everyone in my whole family loves you. They've never even gotten to know Josh. Not that they had a chance, but that's beside the point."

"Yeah. Well this has been a really fun evening and all, but I'm going to get going now. It's Friday, and I have big plans."

As Ron stood up to leave Kim did so as well and grabbed him by the hand.

"Please Ron, please can we just talk?"

A look of conflict was etched on his face. Part of him wanted to hear what she had to say, but part of him just didn't care. She was part of his past, a past that he wanted to forget.

"Sorry Kim. Gotta go."

This time Kim didn't stop him. She just stood there as he walked down the stairs. Moments later she heard the front door close. So that was that. Ron was out of her life once more. He was gone.

_Ding dong!_

Kim wondered who that could be as she went down the stairs to answer the door. Probably just UPS or someone delivering a package. But this early? It seemed off to Kim. She reached the door and opened it, only to see Ron with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Hey there Kimbo!" he said warmly. "I'm hungry and I don't have any money on me. I'll listen to what you have to say if we can go to Bueno Nacho? Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

Kim just smiled and shook her head.

"You know Ron, I actually have a better idea."

"What's that Kim?" he asked.

"To show just how much I care about you, I'm going to do the one thing for you I've never done for another guy."

Ron swallowed hard as he realized what that entailed.

"You don't mean…"

"Yes Ron. I mean exactly that."

XXXXXXXXXX

About fifteen minutes later, Ron found himself in a very unfamiliar position. He didn't realize it would turn out like this. To be honest, this was his first time in this situation. He had never dreamed something like this would occur between him and Kim, but here it was.

"Come on Ron! Get down there and eat it!"

"I don't want to!" he yelled back.

"Come on, eat it!"

"No. It smells weird."

"And what exactly is wrong with the way it smells?"

"It smells moldy!"

Kim gasped, taking offense to Ron's hurtful words.

"You take that back!" she demanded.

"Never!"

"My grilled cheese is not moldy!"

Never before had Kim cooked for another guy. But the time had come. Because Ron was so hungry and loved cheese, Kim had decided to prove how sorry she was by making him a cheesy home cooked meal. But Ron would have none of it. He was currently hiding up in Kim's room not willing to come down and try her culinary creation.

"It's not that bad Ron!" she called up to him. "See look? I'm eating it."

Kim took a bite of the grilled cheese and forced it down. This didn't make sense. How on earth could she screw up grilled cheese like this?

"No Kim. Besides you burnt the bread, and no amount of scraping will remove the black parts."

Kim sighed in defeat. She hated to admit when she was wrong, but in this situation she was. It was awful.

"Fine Ron. We'll go to Bueno Nacho.

Ron let out a cheer as he cautiously came down the stairs. Once he saw Kim throw away what remained of her grilled cheese he eased up. Ron wasn't about to get sick from eating her cooking. He would rather get sick eating Bueno Nacho.

XXXXXXXXXX

There they were once more. Sitting at their booth, just like old times. It was like nothing of the past month had even taken place. They were just Kim and Ron, hanging out at Bueno Nacho once more. It all looked so innocent from the outside. But deep within them both there was a ton of conflict and anxiety.

Ron was stuffing his face full of the delicious cheesy goodness known as the naco. He was ravenous since he hadn't eaten since before the mission. Kim had offered to buy him as much food as he wanted for compensation for the hostage mishap. For Ron that was good enough. As much free food as he wanted was definitely a good thing.

"Now Ron, you're here because you agreed to listen to what I have to say, remember?" Kim asked him.

Ron swallowed his food and nodded.

"Yup. Whatever it is sounds really important too."

"It is Ron."

Kim went and picked up one of her own nacos and presented it in the middle of the table.

"Ron this is your brain." she told him.

"My brain looks delicious." he said as he licked his lips.

"And this is your brain on drugs," she said as she wrapped her hand up in a napkin. She then brought it down and smashed the naco.

"No! Kim what have you done! You just ruined a perfectly good naco!"

"Ron-"

"Poor little naco. It never stood a chance."

"Ron-"

"Oh what a cruel world. Is it not safe for even the simplest of nacos to live in?"

"Ron relax. Focus less on the naco and more on the message I'm trying to send."

"You know I don't even know why I'm here. I don't like you anymore."

"You're here because you know it's the right thing to do."

"Oh yeah Kim, you're one to talk about doing the right thing," he sneered. "Have we come back here so that you could dump me for monkey boy again?"

Kim was hurt by his last comment and couldn't hide it. She looked away from Ron. He noticed it as well. He hadn't intended to hurt her.

"I'm sorry Kim. That was uncalled for."

"It's okay Ron. I deserved it."

Both the teens sat in silence for the next few moments. Kim decided to recompose herself and get on with what needed to be said.

"Ron… these drugs you're doing. They aren't good for you."

"Yeah, I know. But I like them."

"So why don't you stop?"

"I like it, Kim. It's like nothing I, we, have ever done before," he admitted. "In fact, you should try it."

"No thanks."

"Whatever"

"Seriously though Ron, don't you remember anything from the D.A.R.E. program?"

"All I remember is that they told me drugs were bad. And from my experience, they're pretty fun."

"They'll destroy your brain. And marijuana is a gateway drug. Ron this could lead to a lot worse stuff. Please stop," she pleaded with him.

"I don't want to. Not yet at least" he said firmly.

That was some progress at least. Wasn't it?

"Well anyway, if you're not going to quit, there's another thing you need to know."

"What's that?"

"I broke up with Josh."

Ron stopped chewing for the moment and let his mouth hang open. He quickly realized that and closed it, with a smile on his face. Then it once more returned to a look of shock.

"What? How? Why?"

"We just didn't click. At least that's what I told him."

"And what did he say?"

"He said…" Kim said with difficulty. This was going to be painful. "He basically said he was using me for his own popularity."

Ron sat there for a few seconds before he started laughing quietly. Soon it turned quite loud as other people around the restaurant were looking at him curiously.

"Ron, that is so not funny!"

"I'm sorry Kim, but it totally is!" he said. "You break up with me, the perfect guy for you, for Josh! And then you break up with him because it turns out he wasn't the perfect guy you thought he was. And to top it all off, he was using you from the start! Kim that's hilarious!"

Kim still didn't see the humor in it all. But it was poetic justice for Ron. It did seem fitting that she ended up with no one. But wait, what had he said?

"Ron, did you just say you were the perfect guy for me?" she asked him.

Ron stopped immediately as he realized what he had said. Feelings that he had buried down inside him had surfaced. Feelings that he never wanted to have again. The fact that he still cared for and loved Kim.

"I…" was all he could manage.

"Ron, I still care about you too. That's the last reason we're here. So I can tell you that. I know it's asking a lot of you, but can you please forgive me? I just want to be your friend again."

Ron sat there looking into Kim's eyes for a few seconds. Could he forgive her? After what she did?

"The way I treated you was just beyond wrong," Kim continued. "I never should have discarded you Josh like that. But I just got scared. Scared of our future together. Part of me didn't think you were good enough. The other part was scared our friendship would be ruined."

Ron didn't say anything. He just continued to look at her. It was a bit unnerving to Kim.

"But I was wrong Ron. I was wrong about everything. You have always been there for me. We have always been there for each other, until I failed you last month. And for all of that I am truly sorry. Please Ron, please forgive me for how horribly I treated you?"

Ron sat in deep thought for a few moments.

"I'll think about it," he told her.

Kim actually breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't said no. This was a positive first step toward regaining his trust and friendship. She put her hand on his and looked into his eyes.

"Thanks Ron," she smiled.

"Not yet," he smiled back.

"Now you see why I needed to talk to you so much?"

"Yeah. That whole kidnapping me thing was actually kind of funny now that I think about it… and have a full stomach. Only kind of though. I'm still mad about it."

Ron stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Kim asked.

"Home."

"To Upperton?"

"That would be the place."

"Can I come?"

"Why?"

"To see your new place. Come on. It will be fun!" she tried to convince him.

Ron thought about it for a few seconds. What harm could there be? She could stop by, leave, and that would be that. It didn't mean they would have to bond or anything like that.

"Sure Kim. Let's go. But you probably wouldn't want to take the bus would you?"

"We can take my moms car. She has the day off from the hospital."

The two teens walked out of Bueno Nacho together. For the first time in a long time, Kim felt that things might just be okay.


	12. Chapter 12

Authors Note: Yes it's that time again. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. It means a lot that people care about this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

Getting out of the car Kim looked at Ron's house in awe. It wasn't overly impressive in terms of size or design, but it was still new. This was where her best friend lived now instead of the place he had been so for the past seventeen years or so. Kim missed that house. Despite the fact that it had only been a month since she had last been there, it still pained her to be without her favorite hang out place.

If Ron was moved at all by his new place of residence he didn't show it. He must have been used to it by now she figured.

"Home sweet home," Ron said as they made their way to the front door.

"I like the outside. It looks… houseish," Kim said.

"Yeah. Houses tend to be houseish."

Ron unlocked the door and gestured Kim to come inside. The interior was completely different from that of his old house. Of course, Kim lectured herself. It was a new house. So naturally it would be different.

"Oh crap," Ron suddenly said.

"What's wrong?"

"Well… I've kinda been gone since Wednesday night. Check out this note my parents left me."

After Ron handed the note to her, Kim read it and cringed at its content. It basically told Ron that he was in big trouble for staying out all night two nights in a row. They had no idea of where he really was, they just figured he was out partying with his new friends. The reality of the situation couldn't be further from the truth.

But Kim also felt guilty because it was her fault. Yes her intentions had been good. But good intentions don't always blossom into good actions. The first night wasn't really her fault when she thought about it more. Ron had been passed out with her in Dementor's lair. She had no idea where he lived now, and couldn't exactly ask either. So she had just brought him to her house to wait until he woke up. That took a rather long time.

But the second night, totally her fault. Tying the boy up and leaving him in her room all night wasn't the best of plans in retrospect. Now he was going to be in trouble because of it.

"Ron, I'm sorry for keeping you tied up in my room all night," she told him.

Ron chuckled and shrugged.

"Like I said before, it was actually pretty funny. I never knew you had it in you. But don't think that I won't get even."

Kim smiled and was relieved he wasn't too mad. Ron never really did get mad at anyone. But that was the old Ron. It was clear that this one had changed. He seemed more mature actually, and didn't seem to have that child-like wonder he used to have. Was it a result of the fight? The drugs? Kim silently wondered what had changed the boy she had known nearly all of her life.

"Well, I need a shower," he told her. "I'll be back soon, just make yourself comfortable I guess. Oh and try not to eat too much of our food while I'm gone," he smiled.

Kim let out a small laugh remembering what she had written on her note to Ron. She decided that she would go and see his new room. Following him up the stairs, she asked which one was his. After he pointed it out to her, Kim made her way into the room to see what the new life of Ron Stoppable was like.

It was surprising to say the least.

The walls were barren. Gone were the posters of GWA wrestlers and action movie heroes. There were no sports pennants or personal items of any kind. The bare white walls hurt Kim inside. Definitely no more child-like wonder. That was when she noticed something on his desk.

Moving over to examine it more closely, she sighed as she realized what it was. It was a pipe. Kim shook her head in sadness as she looked at what had replaced her old Ron. He didn't even have the sense to hide it anywhere. She definitely planned on talking with him some more about drugs sometime, but she didn't want to seem too pushy. That was the thing about some teenagers. If you annoy them too much with what not to do, they will just do it anyway. She had to use tact and skill in order to convince Ron to stop smoking marijuana.

Suddenly she heard a squeaking noise. It was something she had not heard in some time and was happy when she finally recognized what it was.

"Rufus!"

The little naked mole rat jumped up and down on Ron's bed as Kim went over and picked him up. The little guy scampered up her arm and nuzzled against her face lovingly. He certainly harbored no ill will toward Kim. He had planned on seeking her help for Ron, but them remembered he had no way to get back to Middleton, and had no idea how to get there anyway. So he was reduced to watching and waiting until something finally happened. He was overjoyed that Kim was apparently back in Ron's life.

She noticed something else as well. There was a plate of brownies underneath some plastic wrap sitting on top of his dresser. The nacos had most certainly been filling, but she had a taste for something sweet now. Surely Ron wouldn't mind if she ate a brownie, would he? He had said not to eat too much food, but didn't say not at all. Besides, there were five whole brownies there, eating one wouldn't cause any harm, would it?

Kim walked over to the dresser and unwrapped the plate and picked up one of the brownies. Taking a bite, she savored the delicious chocolate goodness of the brownie. It was absolutely phenomenal. Ron must have made it himself, because no store bought brownies could ever be as good as this one was.

Kim was glad that no one else was around, because she absolutely devoured the brownie. Licking her fingers clean of anything that had stuck on, she went and sat down on his bed. Taking a deep breath, she laid back and closed her eyes. There wasn't much to do now. She supposed she could go downstairs and watch some TV and wait for Ron's arrival. That was probably the best idea. Standing up, she walked downstairs to the living room and turned on the TV.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron came out of the bathroom after he was finished with his shower. Luckily Kim wasn't in the room when he got there. It felt so good to take that shower. He hadn't in two days. Now he was clean and refreshed. He was ready to take on the new day. A new day, a new school day. He realized that it was indeed a Friday. That meant that right now everyone else was at school. Shouldn't Kim be there too? That was what surprised him. Kim was actually skipping school to be with him. That wasn't like her at all.

He sat down on his bed as he put his socks on. That was when he noticed Rufus making quite a fuss about something. The little guy was on his desk chattering away about something. Ron was confused, normally he didn't act this way.

"Rufus buddy, what's up?" Ron asked.

Rufus continued to squeak as he pointed towards the door.

"Something down stairs? Is it Kim?"

Rufus nodded his head up and down in approval. Ron stood up and made his way downstairs to the living room where he heard laughter. It wasn't Kim's normal laugh either. This was loud and boisterous laughter like he had only heard a few times in his life when he had really made her laugh. Ron wondered what was going on.

When he reached the living room he noticed Kim sitting on the couch watching TV. She didn't notice him enter, and just continued to laugh at whatever it was she was watching.

"Hey Kim… what's so funny?"

Shocked by his entry, Kim suddenly whipped her head around to look at him, a grin plastered on her face.

"Oh hey Ron. I'm just, uh, watching TV. I never realized how funny this show was before."

Ron looked at what she was watching. A cold feeling entered his gut.

"Kim, this is The Adventures of Scamper and Bitey. Are you feeling okay?"

"Uh… well I feel kinda out of it. Maybe it was some bad cheese in that grilled cheese sandwich."

Ron nodded in approval, knowing that it wasn't cheese that was affecting her.

"Kim… what happened when I was in the shower."

"Um, I dunno," she said as she started laughing again.

Ron knew for sure now. Despite the fact that he had not been a stoner all that long, he knew the signs. But where could she have gotten weed from? He kept it well hidden in his room. Unless…

"Kim, did you eat any brownies while I was gone?"

Kim burst out laughing once more before responding.

"Oh my gosh Ron! That was like the best brownie ever! You need to tell my mom your recipe."

"Uh… I don't think she would approve of it."

"Why not?"

"Kim, that was a pot brownie you just ate."

There was a brief period of silence before Kim finally reacted. It wasn't what Ron was expecting.

"Fish."

"What?"

"Ron I'm hungry do we have any fish?"

"Kim you hate fish."

"Fish. Fish fish fish fishhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Fishhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Her attention was suddenly turned to Rufus who was sitting in the corner looking at them.

"Shhhhh! By very quiet Ron. I'm hunting naked mole rat."

"Kim!" he yelled.

"What?" she laughed.

Kim slid off of the couch and rolled over onto her back and was now looking at Ron upside down.

"You look funny when you're upside down Ronnie," she said to him.

"Kim, you're completely stoned!"

"No I'm not. It was just some funky cheese."

"Come on. Let me help you off the floor."

"But I wanna lie here!" she whined.

"No Kim. Floor equals bad. Couch equals good. You're good at math right?"

Instead of responding Kim just began giggling.

"I just realized Ron. I would like, totally be in math class right now! Wait no I wouldn't. But wouldn't it be funny if I was?"

"Come on Kim. Work with me here. Let's get you off the floor."

"Mmmmm kay," she agreed.

Ron helped Kim off the floor and led her over to the couch where she flopped down in a position she might not have been able to achieve had she not been a cheerleader. Ron went into the kitchen and got her a glass of water, which she guzzled down quickly.

"Ahhhh yummy!" she said, followed by a burp. "Oops," she laughed.

Ron hated to admit it, but he liked Kim when she was like this. It was so unnatural, almost sick and wrong. But he cast those thoughts out of his mind. Right now he needed to stay with her until she came down.

XXXXXXXXXX

Now the fun would truly begin. At least what Ron perceived as fun. Kim had finally returned to normal. And she was totally freaking out. He had expected nothing less from someone such as her. To her, the idea of doing drugs was nothing short of "gorchy", as she would put it. And now that she understood that she had mistakenly consumed a pot brownie, she was coming up with all sorts of insane scenarios. It was utterly hilarious for Ron, because despite the fact that he no longer hated her, he still had a strong dislike for her. Right now he was just tolerating her, with a bit of fun on the side.

"Oh my gosh Ron! Seriously!"

"It's not that big Kim. Seriously!" he echoed.

"No Ron. I… I'm going to be sick."

"Why?"

"Ron I feel like I should be throwing up right now. I just can't believe this."

"Okay that's like the third time you've said my name."

"Ron!"

"Four."

"Would you stop counting and listen!"

"I'm listening. But you're not saying much."

"Ron this is disgusting. I can't believe this. What the heck were you thinking just letting those things lie around?"

"Hey in my defense it is my room."

"Yeah, but what if Rufus had gotten hold of one?"

Ron stopped for a moment to consider the consequences of what Kim had said. Had Rufus eaten on of his special brownies, it probably wouldn't have turned out well for the little naked mole rat.

"Okay point taken. I should have hidden them."

"Ron what am I going to do? I can't do drugs. I feel so dirty!"

"Like I said Kim, it's not that big of an issue. Teenagers do drugs every day."

"Not me. I'm better than that. I don't do drugs. Drugs are for losers and low lifes."

"Ouch Kim. I never thought I would hear you of all people call me a loser."

Kim stopped and realized what she had just said. Plenty of people like Bonnie had called Ron a loser for most of his life. But she was always there to defend him. And now she was just one of the many on the list that had called Ron that hated 'L' word.

"Ron I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that. I would never call you a loser."

"Yeah I know. I'm just messing with you."

"Oh," Kim said followed by a sigh of relief. "Ron you're not a loser, you just have some bad habits. Drugs included."

"You should have seen yourself while you were high. It was hilarious."

"I was not hilarious!" Kim snapped. "I was under the influence of a mind-altering substance. I feel like I need a shower now or something."

Ron just laughed in response.

"It's not funny Ron!"

"Sure it is. You're totally freaking out. It's not like anyone besides us knows about it. Your parents and certainly not the police know."

"Oh no! The police? Ron what if the police find out. Oh my gosh the police. I didn't even think of that! And my parents? Ron you can't tell anyone about this."

"My lips? Sealed. No worries Kimbo."

"Thanks Ron. I still just… ugh! I'm supposed to be a role model. And what do I do? I do drugs! What will people think when they find out?"

"Okay will you stop that? Doing drugs is not that big of a deal."

"Ron!"

"Well it's true."

"Do you even know the side effects of marijuana? Do you know how harmful it is to your body?"

"Um, not so unhealthy?"

"No!"

"Okay, do tell."

"Well first of all it can really mess with your head. It can disrupt your short term memory. You also have increased risk for bronchitis and emphysema. And it's a gateway drug, and since you enjoy it so much, who knows what other stuff you might try next. Crack? Ecstasy?"

"Kim I'll never do crap like that and you know it."

"No Ron, I thought I knew you. But now it looks like you've changed too much," she frowned.

Ron looked down after she said that. Yes it's true that he changed, but it was all for the better. To hear someone he has known nearly all his life say that she didn't know him anymore? That really hit him hard.

"Come on Kim don't be like that. I'm still the same guy I've always been. It's just now I don't take crap from the bullies at school. I'm better than I was before."

"I wish I could believe that Ron. I wish that-"

_Ding dong!_

"Let me go get that," Ron told her.

Kim watched Ron stand up and go to the front door. She didn't get to finish her other thought. The part about where she wished he was the same goofy Ron that she had fallen in love with. The Ron before all of her mistakes, the one before this whole mess. Was it too late to get him back? Or would she have to be the one to adjust to the new him? She wanted to be back in his life so desperately, if not for her sake than his. She just had to find a way to help him stop doing these drugs.

Ron came back into the room with three boys she had never seen before. Kim examined them briefly and could already tell they were no good. They looked like they were the scum of the earth. The way things were going for Ron lately, she wasn't surprised to see him hanging around these types of kids.

"Whoa, check it out!" one of them said.

"It's the hot chick!" another finished.

Kim stood up and looked visibly disgusted by what they had just said.

"Excuse me?" she asked to the one who had called her hot.

"Yeah seriously Nick, don't call her that. Call her by her proper name: bitch." the third said.

Kim's jaw dropped at this, and she gazed over at Ron. He was looking at the floor trying not to make eye contact with Kim. No matter though, she had never needed him to defend her before. She was not about to let this be the time for it to start.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that." Kim told him.

"Why, can't handle the truth? Ron told us all about what you did to him."

Ron stepped between the two sides and extended his hands as if to separate them.

"Okay, guys, meet Kim. Not bitch," he said. "Kim, this is Nick, he thinks you're hot. This is Sean, he's like Wade jr. when it comes to computers. Sort of. And this is Mike… the one who called you a bitch."

"I would say it's a pleasure to meet you all, but that would be a lie."

"Likewise bitch," Mike smiled.

"Seriously Mike, that's not necessary," Ron told him.

"No fuck you Ron," Mike snapped. "After all the shit we helped you through, you actually hang out with this slut again?"

"Dude Mike, chill!" Sean said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No I won't chill! I'm here trying to look out for you and what ends up happening? You associate with this bitch again behind our backs? What the fuck is wrong with you dude?"

"Okay Mike if you're going to act like this I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Ron told him.

"Fuck that. Ask her to leave."

"I hate to play by kindergarten rules, but I was here first," Kim smiled at him.

"Fuck you bitch. You think you're tough because you go around 'saving the world'? You're nothing."

Mike stepped forward to poke her in the chest as he spoke, as if to emphasize his point. She easily stopped him and grabbed his arm in the process, twisting it around behind him so her front was to his back. She then pushed him forward against the wall and brought her face very close to his ear.

"Like Drakken says, I'm not all that," she said to Mike. "But I'm a heck of a lot more than you are, you piece of trash."

Kim released him and sent him flailing back to his two friends who just stood there with looks of shock on their face. They had just seen what they considered to be the strongest of the three of them manhandled by a girl. They had never seen her in action the way Ron had, so they were truly surprised by what had just occurred. Ron on the other hand already knew what the outcome would be as soon as he saw Mike try to touch Kim.

A mask of anger covered Mike's face as he looked back and forth at Kim and Ron. Without saying a word he made his way to the door and saw himself out.

"Uh, later Ron," Sean said apologetically as he followed his friend.

"Yup," Nick said a second after and then mimicked Sean.

Kim had been standing there in a battle stance ready for another attack before the trio had left. Now she let her guard down as she looked over at Ron, who looked ashamed. He once more refused to make eye contact with her.

"Nice friends you got there," she said flatly.

"I'm sorry Kim… he's not usually like that."

"Whatever."

"Seriously. I don't know what happened just now."

"I know what happened. You're jerk friends are the ones who got you started on drugs, aren't they?"

"Yeah I guess."

"Why Ron? Why did you start hanging out with that trash? Why did you start doing drugs?"

"Because Kim, I had no one else to turn to after what you did."

"What do you mean?"

"After you dumped me… after our fight… I moved here to Upperton. And I was even more of a nobody than I was back in Middleton. Mike and the others offered me their friendship. They didn't mock me, they didn't judge me. They just accepted me for who I was. I needed that Kim. I needed someone besides Rufus in my life that I could turn to."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. But why drugs?"

"Well one day I was sort of freaking out, and they offered a way to help me stop. That's when it all started. They offered me a way to get over my fears and anxiety. And it worked Kim, it actually worked. Trust me I wasn't too sure about it at first either, but it did help me through some very difficult times. Times when I didn't have you to turn to for help. You were always there for me Kim, until then."

Kim couldn't help but hold back tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. It was her fault one way or another. She knew this. Her mistakes had turned Ron to drugs. Her betrayal had turned him into a low life like Mike. Now she was more determined than ever to get back into his life. If she could drive him to use drugs then maybe, just maybe, she could rescue him from them as well.

"Ron I know I already apologized," she said as she took him by both hands. "But I'll never be able to say it enough. I'm sorry Ron. I'm so sorry for what I did to you."

Ron just nodded, looking anywhere around the room except at her as he did so.

"I know Kim. I know."

"And like I said before I don't expect you to forgive me today or tomorrow, or even ever, but I really hope that someday you can find a way."

Ron once more didn't say anything, but just nodded again. He wasn't saying that he forgave her, but rather said that he understood. Deep down, part of him wanted to forgive her. Part of him wanted things to be like how they used to be. But the other part of him was still wounded. It didn't trust her. It didn't like her. And thus, he would not forgive her on this day.

Silence once again fell over the room as both teens struggled to think of what to say next. It had been an emotional rollercoaster since Kim had returned to a normal frame of mind and neither of them knew what was coming next. The silence however, didn't last long.

"Stoppable-san!"

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Kim and Ron both turned to where the voice had come from. They both saw a slender figure garbed in a black martial arts gi. To any normal person this would be a strange sight. But to Kim and Ron, the sight of a ninja in one of their homes was as normal as going to school every week day. Neither of them was particularly nervous about it either, because that voice could only belong to one person.

"Yori?" Kim said.

"Yori!" Ron exclaimed.

The ninja girl removed her mask and looked warmly into the eyes of Ron as he went over there and gave her a hug.

"It is good to see you too Stoppable-san," she told him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "In my house, which you broke into for some reason. Not that I'm saying you have a bad reason, it must be a good reason. Why else would you be in my house? It's not like you're here to steal anything. You're you. And by that I mean a trustworthy ninja. Not that there are any other kinds, are there? Okay I'll shut up now."

"Oh Stoppable-san, I have missed you and your humorous ranting."

"Yes Yori, why exactly are you here?" Kim asked, grinding her teeth. She didn't exactly like it how Ron was so affectionate towards Yori. She still remembered the day the three of them had fought Gorilla Fist.

"I have been sent here to bring Stoppable-san back to Yamanouchi."

"What?" Kim and Ron said in unison.

"I am afraid I cannot say more about the reasons why. All that I can say is that Sensei decreed that it is time for Stoppable-san to return to Yamanouchi for the time being."

Kim and Ron didn't know what to make of this. They really would have preferred more information, but it appeared that the Japanese girl either could not or would not say more.

"So what you're saying is that I have a free trip back to Japan?" Ron asked.

"In essence, yes."

"Coolio!"

"Ron," Kim began. "Are you seriously considering doing this? We're in the middle of the school year. You can't just go disappearing for however long it will take."

"Do not concern yourself with such matters Possible-san," Yori said politely. She did not know about the rift between Kim and Ron, and had no reason to bear any ill will toward the girl. "Do you remember the exchange program that took place a couple of years ago between our schools?"

"Yes..." Kim said hesitantly.

"It would be exactly like that again, however this time for a much longer period of time."

"How much longer?"

"Until the end of the semester."

"What!"

Kim was unhappy with this to say the least. She was finally making some progress with Ron. And now she was about to lose him for the next two and a half months? She couldn't, wouldn't let that happen. It was one thing for him to live in Upperton, at least she could try to see him on a daily basis. But there would be virtually no way of staying in contact with him if he were to go to Japan.

"So it sounds like Sensei really needs me," Ron thought aloud.

"Indeed."

Kim still couldn't believe he was actually considering it.

"Ron, are you really going to do this?"

"It sounds like a good idea to me."

"But why? You have so much here that you should stay for. Friends, family, football?"

"Oh crap, you're right Kim."

"Thank you."

"I forgot about homecoming!" Ron exclaimed.

Kim seemed pleased with herself that she had given Ron a reason to stay, at least for the time being.

"Damn, I forgot to ask Sarah. I was too busy being held hostage…" Ron said as he glared over in Kim's direction.

"Oh right, that," Kim laughed nervously. "Sorry again."

Ron was depressed now. He was really looking forward to showing off his bon diggity dance moves. Especially with a girl who maybe had the potential to somewhat like him, like Sarah. He went over and sat on the couch, a look of defeat etched on his face. Until…

"Wait! That's it!"

"What's it?"

"This is too perfect. Why didn't I think of this before?"

"Think of what?"

"The girl who I should go to homecoming with! She's standing right here in this room."

"Oh Ron, do you really mean it?" Kim asked hopefully.

"Yes! Yori, will you go to the dance with me tonight?"

Kim's jaw hit the floor as she heard these words. She had not been expecting that at all. He was supposed to have asked her. They had been best friends since pre-k. They had gone to many dances before, each time except one as friends. This should have been no different. They should have been able to rekindle their friendship by going to the dance together. But instead he had asked Yori?

But then Kim mentally kicked herself for being so foolish. Of course he would ask Yori. Kim thought about the situation Ron was in, and put herself in his shoes for a moment. He was still hurting from being dumped by her. He still didn't trust her. Why on earth would he ask her to a dance?

"A dance? I feel that we should make our way back to Yamanouchi as soon as possible."

"Nope. How about this. I'll only go with you if you go to the dance with me tonight."

Yori sighed in defeat. If this was the only way of getting Ron to go back with him, it would just have to do.

"Okay. I will go."

"But she doesn't even have a dress!" Kim said. "Is she going to just be going in her ninja clothes or something?"

"Oh Possible-san, you are almost as funny as Stoppable-san," Yori laughed. "Of course, a ninja is always prepared for any occasion. I will have a dress by tonight. What is it that your Pixie Girls say, 'Always be prepared'?"

"Nope, the Pixie Girl motto is 'We stick together'," Ron corrected her. "I don't know what that other motto is."

"So what time shall I come over for you to escort me to the dance?"

"No need Yori. I've got my moms car tonight, and I'm free to come pick you up wherever you're staying."

"Very well. I am staying at the Upperton Tipton Hotel, in room 242."

"Alright, I'll pick you up around 6:30."

Kim meanwhile had heard enough of this. She was sad about this whole situation that she was seemingly powerless to do anything about. First Ron was going with Yori to the homecoming dance, and then to Japan for over two months. But now that she thought about it, there was at least one good part about his leaving. He wouldn't be able to hang out with those scumbags he called friends anymore. And if that happened, he wouldn't be doing drugs anymore either. She seriously doubted that a secret ninja school would condone such things. So maybe, just maybe, this was a positive first step to Ron getting off drugs. She would just have to wait and see.


	13. Chapter 13

Authors Note: Thanks again for all of the support. I'm glad so many people are enjoying the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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XXXXXXXXXX

The night had been good so far, after a strange start to the day. Ron thought about it and laughed to himself. Who could have ever imagined perfect little Kim Possible getting stoned? It was too good to be true as far as he was concerned. And now here he was at the homecoming dance with a beautiful girl. That was something he never expected to happen.

Actually he had expected it to happen, once. When he started his relationship with Kim, he thought they would be going to all of the dances together. But it was not to be. Events took place which shattered those dreams. But hey, things worked out in the end, didn't they? He had bounced back. He had not let those things control him. He and Yori were having a wonderful time.

He had been a bit nervous with how close she was to him. Not close as in a friendship way either, but really physically close. The slow dances gave her an opportunity to get especially near him, and more than once she had rested her head on his shoulder as they were in motion. He had no idea what to expect a far as she was concerned. He remembered the little peck on the cheek that she had given him after rescuing Sensei back in the day. Was it for real? Or was it just a way of thanking him? Ron honestly didn't know, and it was frustrating him. Because the way things were going right now, it seemed like she did sort of have a crush on him. Ron wondered whether that would be a good or bad thing.

The music stopped and couples began to drift apart from each other. Ron looked around to see if there were any familiar faces in the darkened room. He couldn't spot anyone that he was close with. He wondered where his friends were. Probably somewhere getting high. Dances weren't really their thing. He had had a bit of a fight earlier in the day, or at least with Mike. Hopefully he would get over the fact that he was resuming his contact with Kim. But he wouldn't worry about things like that right now. This was a night to be happy, not think about stuff that would depress him.

Ron and Yori went over to the side before the next song started. He needed a break from it all. Reaching for a drink, he gulped it down with delight. His body was feeling extra warm at the moment not only due to the physical activity, but the fact that he had been so close with Yori all night. She too had a drink before speaking to him.

"Oh Stoppable-san, I am having such a wonderful time. I am so happy you invited me tonight."

Ron nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah me too. Oh and by the way, there's no need for formalities anymore. You can just call me Ron."

"Okay… Ron," Yori smiled, seemingly pleased with the informality she was able to address him with. "It will take some getting used to, but for you I can do it."

Ron returned the smile but only for the briefest of moments. Then something happened which wiped it from his face.

A familiar tune began to play over the speakers. It was one he had not heard in about four months. It was a melody he had all but memorized since then, much to his chagrin. Then the lyrics began to play.

_I know we've been friends forever,  
But now I think I'm feeling something totally new._

Ron shook his head before heading for the door. Yori looked on at him with confusion for a moment before calling out to him.

"Ron, where are you going?"

Ron turned around to face her, while still walking backwards towards the exit.

"I uh, I just need some fresh air. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Yori nodded hesitantly at that and watched him walk out of the school and into the parking lot. What she saw that Ron didn't see was the group of boys that began to stir, and made their way to the exit as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

The doors closed behind Ron as he took a deep sigh of relief. That song. That damn song. It just would be playing there tonight. Ron actually laughed for a second at that very thought. In a world that seemed to hate him so much, why wouldn't it play tonight? The night was just going too well, of course something was bound to screw it up. And it was that song.

It was the song that he and Kim first danced to at the junior prom. It was the song that played as both of them truly found their feelings for each other. It was the song that they shared their first kiss to. Ron had downloaded it later that night and put it on his mp3 player and listened to it nearly every day up until the break up. To him it was very special, very meaningful. It still held value to him now, but in a different way. Now it only reminded him of pain and heart-ache rather than good times. And now that he heard it all he could think about was Kim. Why?

Was he still in love with Kim? Deep down he knew the answer. No matter what she did, he could never truly hate her. Hate was such a powerful word that had really lost its meaning over the years. Hate was something you reserved for the most horrible of enemies, like Shego for Kim. Did Ron dislike Kim? Yes. Did he harbor a grudge towards her for what she had done to him? Absolutely. But did he hate her? No. That he knew for sure. Even now they were back to talking to each other, almost like old times. Almost. The hurt and mistrust were still there on his part which prevented things from going back to normal. But these things would take time. He would have plenty of it over the next couple of months.

As Ron contemplated these thoughts, he never expected the clubbing blow that connected with the back of his head. Ron was sent to the ground in a heap, caught off guard by the attack from behind. He stood up and turned around to see a group of five boys standing there with grins on their faces. Two of them he knew well, the others he had only seen in class or the halls.

Standing in the front, the one who must have hit him, was none other than the class bully Steve. At his side was his little toady Kevin. His first day at Upperton High School, Ron had been threatened by the two and a fight broke out. Ron ended up wiping the floor with Steve. Apparently he had not forgotten the insult to his pride.

Ron didn't know the names of the others, and didn't really care either. One thing was for sure though. They were looking for a fight. And Ron was not about to back down, no matter the odds. He had come too far to return to his old form. He would win or die trying.

"Well well well, look what we have here guys," Steve said mockingly. "It's the big football star. Or should I say the big loser."

The others started laughing. Ron didn't find it all the funny. And that wasn't even because it was an insult directed at him. It was a lame insult to begin with.

"Yeah Steve, tell him about the dirt we dug up on him!" Kevin squealed with delight. Ron found his high pitched voice to be so annoying.

"What the heck are you babbling about?" Ron asked.

"You see, I know people back at Middleton," Steve began. "I have friends there who know you too. Turns out they had a ton to say about you."

Ron tilted his head to the side a bit as he examined Steve for the trace of a bluff. There was none.

"See Ron, apparently back at Middleton you were nothing but the class loser. Never been on a date before, never been laid, never even had a girlfriend! Can you believe that guys?"

The crowd of boys began laughing at Ron's expense as Ron felt his blood begin to boil. How dare they bring up his past like that. It was something that Ron hated about himself. He hated what he used to be. Weak. Pathetic. Worthless. He was not the same boy that they were discussing. He was a new Ron, one who had friends, one who was the star runningback, even one who brought a hot date to the dance tonight.

"Sorry Steve, but the guy you're talking about is no more. You've seen who I am, and what I've done to you. So why don't you and your posse of idiots just go back inside."

Steve chuckled at Ron's words.

"Nope. Once a loser always a loser. You may be fooling the people at this school, but you can't fool yourself. You're still a nobody. And I'll prove that once I kick your ass tonight."

"Excuse me, is there a problem out here?" a female voice asked.

The boys turned around to see Yori standing there in her magnificent red dress. She slowly walked through the boys who parted like the Red Sea before her. Before long she was standing side by side with Ron, ready for whatever was going to happen next.

"Yori, you shouldn't be out here," Ron told her softly.

"No Ron, it is you who should not be out here. These boys mean to do you harm."

"You should listen to your hooker Stoppable," Steve said. "I mean, she's gotta be one. How else would you have gotten a date for tonight? Fucking loser."

Yori merely smiled at the intended insult toward her. Though she was slow to anger, she could see a look of rage on Ron's face because of what Steve had said. This was something he was going to have to learn to control once he got to Yamanouchi.

"Ron, they seek a fight which does not need to take place. It would be best for them if we just returned to the dance."

"That's where you're wrong, this fight does need to take place," Steve told her. "Come on Stoppable, let's go. You and me here right now."

"Yeah!" Kevin agreed. "He's gonna kick Stoppable's ass!"

Ron took Yori aside to speak to her so the five boys couldn't hear them.

"Look, I know this isn't the ninja way or whatever, but this is America, not Japan. This is going to happen whether we like it or not, and it's better just to get it over with."

Yori looked deep into his eyes and saw the seriousness of his expression. There would be no budging either side from this decision.

"Very well Ron, then I shall fight with you," she said just a bit too loud.

"Hah!" Steve laughed. "Did you hear that? Stoppable's girl is going to fight for him. What a fucking dork!"

Ron separated himself from Yori and beckoned Steve to bring it on. The other boy was more than happy to oblige.

Steve took a swing at Ron's head who ducked under the attack. But that didn't stop the next blow from connecting with Ron's stomach sending him back a few steps.

"What the fuck were you thinking anyway Stoppable?" Steve screamed. "Last time you just got lucky. You stupid fucking loser. You're nothing compared to me. You hear me? You're nothing!"

Steve sent another fist that connected with Ron's face that sent him to the ground. As he struggled to get up he saw something which horrified him. The other boys were descending on Yori like a pack of hyenas upon a lone animal. Were they actually going to fight her? Or were they just going to make her watch what they thought would be Steve hurting Ron?

A feeling of rage filled him that he had not felt since the Dementor mission. He felt physical pain for the first time since his ill-fated mission against Dr. Drakken and Shego. His eyes turned a glowing blue as he thought about the current situation. But where they would usually just flash blue and then return to their normal brown color, this time they stayed blue. Steve looked at him with an expression of horror on his face as Ron stood up.

"What the fuck…"

He didn't get a chance to finish his thought before Ron plowed his fist into the teeth of the bully. Another fist struck as fast as lightning into the gut of Steve, and a third smashed into his nose. The boy was sent tumbling to the ground as Ron turned to see the condition of Yori.

The female ninja was more than just fine. Two of the boys lay on the ground clutching various parts of their body, while a third was in the middle of getting beaten down by her. Kevin on the other hand was running away screaming. He clearly didn't want a piece of what Yori had to offer.

Ron turned back to Steve, and kicked him in the side, causing the boy to roll over in pain. But Ron was not letting up. He physically could not restrain himself from doing so. He flipped Steve over on his back and knelt down on top of the boy. He sent another fist thundering into the boys face. And another. And another.

"You stupid fuck!" Ron screamed as he sent another fist down.

Steve gurgled up blood from his ruined mouth as Ron reared back his arm for another blow.

"You think you know me? You think you know about my past?" he asked as he punched him again.

Ron continued to rain down fists upon Steve. He had completely lost control of his own physical actions now. Even if he wanted to stop, he doubted that he could. Blood splattered up from the boys face as more and more punches connected. Ron's fist was covered in it, and his new black tuxedo was being sprayed with it after every blow. Ron didn't even notice that someone was trying to restrain him until he heard their voice.

"No Ron! You'll kill him!" the voice said.

Ron stopped and looked behind him to see Yori standing there with a look of horror on her face. Ron stood up and staggered back a bit to examine his handy work. Steve's face was a mask of blood. The savage beating had rendered him unconscious as well. Ron was breathing heavily, his eyes having returned to their normal brown color by now. He couldn't believe it. Had he really done that? The fight seemed like such a blur to him.

"I…" was all he could manage.

"What the fuck!" one of Steve's friends cried out as he got up and looked at the scene before him. "Someone call an ambulance right now!"

"I… I didn't mean to do this," Ron said to Yori.

"Yes Stoppable-san I know," she said, momentarily forgetting to call him Ron. "This is why you are coming to Yamanouchi. You must learn to control your powers or they will control you."

By now a small crowd had gathered outside around Steve's unconscious body. A number of teachers and the principal were there as well, as they were in charge of monitoring the dance.

Steve's cronies were giving statements to the principal, no doubt lying to make themselves look innocent. And with their leader being a bloody mess like he was, it would be hard to doubt their word. Sure Ron had been the one who was attacked, but he had clearly gone overboard with what he had done to the boy.

As Ron and Yori stood off to the side, he noticed Principal Atkins walk over with a grim look on his face.

"Ron, what happened out here?" he asked.

"They came out and attacked _us_," Ron said, making sure that the emphasis was placed on the 'us'. "I was only defending myself, and Yori was only defending herself."

Principal Atkins sighed. He knew that Ron was probably telling the truth, but there was no ignoring this situation. The first time he had been able to look the other way, as Ron was new in school and the fight was not a big one. But after this, after leaving a student lying in a pool of blood on school grounds, he could not let Ron off the hook.

"I'm sorry Ron, but I'm going to have to suspend you," he said.

"What! But he started it!" Ron protested.

"I'm suspending Steve and his friends as well."

"This is bullshit!" Ron screamed at his principal. Some of the other students looked at the exchange with looks of shock on their faces. No one dared to speak like that to a figure of authority.

The distant noise of an ambulance siren could be heard as Principal Atkins shook his head.

"I really am sorry Ron. But I'm going to have to ask you to leave the school grounds at once. You'll be getting a call from my office on Monday concerning your suspension."

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead he stormed off towards his mother's car that he drove here tonight with Yori. She hurried after him, not liking this new mood he was in.

"Ron, what are you going to do now?" she asked him.

"Now… now I'm going to Yamanouchi. I can't play in the game tomorrow against the Sunnyville Slayers, so there's no point in staying."

"You want to go right now?"

"Yes. You can still get those secret ninja airplane tickets, right?" he smiled.

Yori was relieved to see a smile on the young mans face as she nodded.

"Yes, the graduates of the Yamanouchi school are always available to help. I just need to make a call and we can be on a flight to Japan within a couple hours."

"Sweet!" he exclaimed. "So do I need to go home and pack anything, or will it be like last time?"

"The Yamanouchi School will provide all items necessary for your stay. I feel we should drop your mother's car off at your house, and get take a taxi to the airport."

"And I suppose you have secret ninja cash to pay for the cab?"

Yori laughed as she reached into her purse and pulled out a large sum of bills.

"As I told you before Ron, a ninja is always prepared."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was feeling extra miserable tonight. It was Friday. She should have been excited. But she just wasn't. She had lost Ron again. That hurt her so very much. She had come so close to getting him back, but now he would be leaving again. Going to that mysterious ninja school in Japan. She didn't know what hurt more. Losing him the first time, or this time. This was Friday, her official Ron night. She had hoped that their friendship would have been rekindled and they could have spent it together. But instead he was spending it with her. With that ninja named Yori. It ate at her. Who did this girl think she was anyway, just barging in on Ron's life like that. It just wasn't right to Kim.

So she had to make other plans to get her mind off of it. She decided to call up Monique and see a movie with her tonight. It seemed like a good idea at the time. That was until they got to the theater and let Monique pick the movie. And of course, she picked the new blockbuster hit, Bricks of Fury IV. That made her feel even worse.

She remembered seeing Bricks of Fury III with Ron. She had to correct him when he referred to the three as "aye aye aye". She just knew that when he saw this one he would call it "aye vee". She smiled at the thought. That was the Ron she knew and loved. Wait, did she just think that she loved him?

The thought was driven from her head as her daydreaming was interrupted by Monique.

"Kim? Kim are you listening to me?" she said.

Kim shook her head and looked at Monique, who was busy taking a sip from her drink. The two were sitting at an outdoor table at Bueno Nacho. They had decided to go there after the movie to get something to eat. The fact that she was not sitting at her and Ron's usual table was not lost on her either.

"Oh sorry Mon," Kim said. "My mind was just sort of wandering."

"You were thinking about Ron weren't you?"

Bingo. Monique had read her mind.

"Yeah. It's just hard to believe he's going to be leaving again."

Monique nodded in agreement.

"So tell me about this Japan thing again."

"Well, remember that exchange program with Ron and Hirotaka back sophomore year?"

"Yeah. That boy was fine… up until we found out he was dating Bonnie."

Kim laughed at the memory. A crushing sheep. That's how she had described herself. She had had many crushes over the years. The only boy she had never crushed on was Ron. And that's because what she had with him was real.

"Well, it turns out that it's all part of some super secret ninja program they have going on over there in Japan. And for some reason, they want Ron back."

"But Ron's not a ninja," Monique said hesitantly. "I mean, is he?"

Kim shook her head.

"Nope. I mean, he may know a few martial arts moves that he learned over the years because of the missions, but there's no way that a ninja school should want him. Unless there's something really big that I don't know about. I'm still confused about the whole incident involving Yori and Gorilla Fist."

"Yeah, I can't picture Ron going all Jackie Chan on people. He's too nice. I doubt he's ever hit someone in his life. Well except for that mission you told me about…"

"You mean the one where I found him beating Dementor to a pulp?"

"Yeah. That's the one."

Kim took a bite from her naco. She looked down at it and thought of Ron even more. This was his creation. He had come up with the naco only about two years ago, and it was now the most popular item at Bueno Nacho's across the nation. He had made millions of dollars because of it, which was squandered away and then taken from him by Dr. Drakken. It was a real shame too. He could have been set for life. Kim wondered if he would ever see another royalty check again.

"So Kim," Monique began. "Do you plan on finding out what Ron's up to?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean go to Japan and see what's up. I'm sure you're just as good as those ninjas over there, even better. You could go all mission mode and sneak up on them and spy on Ron. You could find out why he's there."

"I don't know. I don't want to invade his privacy. I'm kind of trying to regain his trust here. And if he found out I was there spying on him, that wouldn't really help out my cause much."

Monique nodded in agreement.

"Yeah I guess you're right."

"I guess I'll just have to wait until he gets back to see him again. And when he does, I really hope he can forgive me. I miss him Monique, I really do."

"Me too Kim. Now I don't have anyone to gloat to when Pain King beats Steel Toe."

Kim chucked a bit at that. Ron and Monique were always going back and forth about who was the better GWA wrestler. Kim wasn't really into it, so it amazed her with the intensity that the two of them fought with. She just didn't understand how two people could argue so much about professional wrestling. It was fake! Sure the athleticism was real, and some of the moves were incredible to behold, but it was all scripted. The winners were pre-determined. So Kim wondered how one guy could be better than another. Oh well, if they enjoyed it, she should just let it be.

Kim looked at her watch and saw it was a few minutes past eleven.

"Well Monique, I think I should be getting home. Curfew and all."

"Yeah you're right. Oh by the way, Club B is having a sale tomorrow. Will I see you there?"

"You know it."

The two girls made their way back to Monique's car and drove off into the night. From that point on until she fell asleep later that evening, all Kim could think about was Ron.

XXXXXXXXXX

The flight had been long and relatively boring. But at least it was comfortable. The ninjas had come through once again. First class seating was definitely the way to go. Ron couldn't ever imagine going back to coach. He was so pampered and there was so much leg room where he and Yori sat. In fact they were comfortable that Yori had fallen asleep. But Ron was too pumped up from the earlier fight to sleep. He looked at his right fist. Despite how much he had washed it, it was still tinted red from the blood that had been spilled.

There had been plenty of blood. Ron wondered if the police were going to get involved. It certainly wouldn't look good if that were the case, and he had "fled" to Japan immediately after the incident. At least they would never find him. After all, who could find him at a secret rural ninja school built in Japanese mountains?

Yori and he had not spoken the entire time during the hike up to the top of Yamanouchi. He wondered if it had anything to do with the fight. She had looked scared when she pulled him off of Steve. The expression on her face was one that he would not soon forget. How could he? To see a friend of yours be scared of you was not something you could just shrug off. Had he really been that into the blood and violence? Had he really been that dangerous?

Honestly he didn't know. He had never been that angry before. When the thought crossed his mind of those jerks somehow hurting Yori, he had just snapped. Was this part of his power? It would make sense he supposed. He was after all gifted with mystical monkey powers. It did involve violence. He was no master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar like Monkey Fist, but what he lacked in finesse he made up with brute force.

These thoughts had been on his mind the entire way he and Yori had been hiking. Of course there would be no car or helicopter to take them up to the top of the mountain. It was good for the body and the mind to do this exercise anyway. At least Ron was in better shape this time. His time spent both on the football field and in the weight room had given him more muscle than he had ever had in his life. It wasn't enough to show off however, he had a long way to go before he would go walking on the beach shirtless.

When they finally reached the gates of Yamanouchi, he saw the outline of a lone figure standing there to greet them. As he got closer he realized it could only be one man. The man who would train him and teach him to master his powers over the next couple of months.

"Stoppable-san," Sensei said. "Welcome back to Yamanouchi."


	14. Chapter 14

Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone who cares about this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

The school was just as Ron remembered it. It looked ancient in ways, like a throwback to feudal Japan. This was on purpose, he figured. Being a secret ninja school, things like computers and telephones, could easily be traced. Using GPS, you could find almost anything, anywhere. To keep its secrecy, Yamanouchi had a strict policy about anything electronic. Nothing could be brought into the school.

There was however a small village about twenty miles away that did have such luxuries. Not that Ron would have much of a reason to go there. He knew that Rufus would be taken care of by his parents, so there was no reason to go and call them.

That was something that did trouble him a bit. His parents really had no warning about his departure. No one would. Like last time, Yamanouchi disguised their switch as a simple exchange program. His school in Upperton would be informed, as well as anyone else of significance. So when he thought about it, Ron really had nothing to worry about. He would be free to concentrate on his training, whatever that would be. He still didn't know exactly why he was here. But one thing was for certain, it beat his life back in Upperton.

Thanks to his suspension he would probably be in major trouble with his parents. It was his third fight in a month and by far the most violent. He still didn't know how it happened. When he had been struck, a rage awakened inside of him like it had several times in the past. The thought of someone hurting Yori only fueled that anger. He had completely lost control of his senses and proceeded to beat Steve to a bloody pulp.

And the scary thing was that he enjoyed it.

It was a pattern that Ron was beginning to discover. Violence was not something new in his life. Over the years he had had more of his share on the missions he went on with Kim. Though he had rarely ever gotten into any of the action himself, it was always a threat looming over his head. But now that he had a taste of it, he wanted more. He craved it. The sheer power he felt when he rammed his fists into another human being was exhilarating. It was something he had never experienced before in his life. That was because he was always a loser. He was always getting picked on and beat up. No longer. Now he was in control. It was something he would not relinquish easily.

And why should he? With his mystical monkey power, he could become an even bigger hero than Kim herself. And with the proper training, could he become the most powerful fighter in the world? He would be at least Monkey Fist's equal, if not superior. Yes, this is something that Ron wanted more than anything at the moment.

Now that he was here in the presence of Sensei, it was time for questions to be answered. He had a few about why exactly he had been summoned. Not only that, but he had to know when he would begin the training that he would no doubt be doing over the next two and a half months.

"Hey Sensei, what's up?" Ron said.

Sensei didn't flinch at such an informal greeting, his features remaining stoic all the way.

"It is good to see you again Stoppable-san," Sensei responded. "I imagine you are wondering why you are here?"

"Well," Ron began. "I kinda figured it had something to do with the whole mystical monkey power thing. But as for the details, I don't have a clue."

Sensei merely nodded his head at Ron's words before continuing.

"You are here because I have sensed a profound change in you. And it is not for the better. As Keeper of the Lotus Blade, I am charged with its safety until it is ready to be presented to The Chosen One."

"And this has what to do with me?"

"You Stoppable-san, are The Chosen One."

Ron digested the words for a moment before he could think of something to say back. That was quite a statement for him. He, chosen? Chosen for what? A free burrito dinner at Bueno Nacho? The next contestant on The Price Is Right?

"Yeah… about that. What exactly does that mean?"

If Sensei was frustrated with Ron's lack of understanding, it did not show.

"You are The Shield of Yamanouchi. You have been chosen to be the ultimate agent of good in the world, the defender of all that is pure and sacred. You have been gifted with powers beyond your understanding. You are here to learn about these powers as well as your destiny."

Such heavy implications were not easy to brush off. Ron stood there with his mouth hanging open at the words of Sensei, not knowing what to say.

"Come to my personal chambers Stoppable-san. We have much to discuss."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Ron walked into the room behind Sensei, he was not surprised with the layout in the least. His quarters were Spartan and lacking in any kind of decoration at all. It reminded Ron of his own room. He wondered to himself whether it was a coincidence or not. If his mystical monkey powers were truly starting to develop, could it have altered his mindset as well? Was the reason he saw no need for decoration the same as Sensei's?

There was almost no furniture at all. There was a bed, table, and small cushions at the table meant for sitting. There was something else that Ron noticed, an empty rack. What it was supposed to hold he didn't know. Maybe he would ask later, but for now he had much to learn about his purpose not only here, but in the world as well.

Sensei smiled and gestured Ron to take a seat at the table. As he did so, a pair of Yamanouchi students entered with cups and tea. They gently placed them on the table before bowing and leaving as quickly as they had entered. Sensei poured the tea into the two cups and slid one of them over to Ron. Ron graciously accepted it and took a sip. It was extremely hot but he didn't want to be seen as ungrateful, so he took small careful sips from it.

"You have been fighting, have you not?" Sensei asked.

Ron was caught off guard by the question. How had he known?

"Yeah…" Ron said hesitantly. "How did you know that?"

"The black eye is an obvious sign," Sensei smiled.

Ron moved his hand up to touch his eye purely by reflex before he too smiled. Typical of Sensei to make something so obvious seem so incredibly insightful.

"Yeah. I have been in a few fights recently."

Sensei nodded.

"There was blood on your hand as well."

Ron looked down at his hand which was still tinted red from Steve's blood. In time it would vanish, but it had been less than a day since the fight and thus was still present.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that the last fight was the worst. It wasn't even my fault. He started it."

"In combat it does not matter who started the fight, only who finishes it and how that is done."

"I don't know about that. I was innocent. It's not my fault he wanted to fight us."

"Yori fought as well?"

"Yup, like a fu-, freakin' ninja. Well then again she is a ninja, so it makes sense that she would fight like one."

Sensei took a sip from his tea as he listened to Ron.

"Tell me about your mood Stoppable-san."

"My mood? What do you mean?"

"How have you been feeling lately? Have you been happy? Sad? Angry?"

Ron thought about it for a few moments before he answered. In reality he had felt a mixture of many emotions. He had been happy with his new life since Kim dumped him. He had refused to feel sad about that. He would not let himself feel sorry for himself. He would not wallow in self pity over his situation. He made the best of it. Becoming the star runningback at Upperton did wonders to help his self esteem as well. His friends had helped him through tough times. They made him happy too.

But he had also been extremely angry. Angry at what Kim had done to him. Angry at punks like Steve thinking they could push him around. Angry at his past for what he used to be.

"I guess I've been pretty happy Sensei." he finally replied, not making eye contact with him.

Sensei nodded once more and took a sip of his tea before speaking again.

"You have been angry."

Ron looked up in surprise at Sensei's words. He said it like it was an indisputable fact. How had he known that Ron had been feeling angry?

"Tell me Stoppable-san, when was the first time you have felt rage like you have in the past month."

Ron still wondered how Sensei could know so much about his feelings as of late. Had they been spying on him? It wouldn't surprise him. The students here would be masters of stealth. But no, they wouldn't be so underhanded as to spy on him. What kind of person would do such a thing to someone they considered to be friends?

"I guess… I guess when I saw Kim kissing Josh. I remember feeling so incredibly angry at that moment. So much so that I shoved some kid who was in my way into a locker. That's the first time I got suspended."

"You and Possible-san were dating, were you not?"

"Yeah. Emphasis on _were_."

Sensei took another sip of his tea before continuing.

"As one who possesses mystical monkey powers, it was only a matter of time before they surfaced. In your case, a moment of unimaginable pain and anger has triggered them to come to the forefront of your life. I suspect seeing the woman you loved with another man is what did this."

"So you're saying that seeing Kim and Josh make out is what happened to make me…" Ron stopped in mid-sentence.

It all made sense now. His strength. His fighting prowess. His abilities on the football field. They weren't natural at all. It all stemmed from his mystical monkey powers.

"Your abilities are still raw and not channeled, Stoppable-san. While you are stronger, faster, and more resilient than ever before now, you are still untrained. And an untrained fighter is as much a warrior as a heap of building materials is a house. That is why you are here."

"To build a house?" Ron asked.

Sensei smiled before answering.

"In a way. You are here to become a house. It will be the responsibility of the students here, as well as myself to build you. You shall become a mighty warrior who will be unmatched in martial prowess and skill. Only two men in the world possess the skills you do; you as well as Monkey Fist. He has never received the proper training that you shall, and so will never achieve the heights that you will."

Ron thought over Sensei's words. Him? A great warrior? This was like something out of a movie or a video game. Who would have ever thought that mild-mannered Ron Stoppable would become what he could only describe as a super hero?

Then again, his motto was "never be normal".

Ron was slightly disappointed that his performances on the football field were artificially enhanced. Sure he could run fast on his own, but thank to his powers he also possessed incredible strength, stamina, and agility. Those abilities combined with his natural running skills made for an impressive athlete. But in the end he decided that he didn't care. It was power. Professional athletes used steroids all the time to gain an edge. Ron's enhancements on the other hand were undetectable. No one would ever know. As far as anyone knew, he was all natural. That would go a long way if he ever decided to pursue a career in college, of even the pros.

Even if he decided not to pursue a career in sports, with the kind of powers he would soon have, he could become a real life Fearless Ferret. Sure he tried it once and failed. But back then he was just an ordinary sidekick. With new abilities, he could become an even greater hero than Kim herself. Finally, he would be recognized for what he really was. A hero. At the moment no one even remembered his name. Maybe he would just have to make them remember his name. Maybe he would have to make it clear to the world that he was unstoppable.

The power available at his fingertips was intoxicating…

"Stoppable-san."

Ron was snapped out of his daydreaming by Sensei.

"With your abilities, you can become an agent of Yamanouchi. This is your choice of course. No one will force anything upon you. But destiny is something that no one can avoid. Your destiny and your powers are intertwined, and they will be used."

Ron thought over Sensei's words for a moment.

"So when you say an 'agent of Yamanouchi', does that mean like a ninja or something?"

Sensei nodded.

"Coolio! I always did wanna be a hero. And a ninja. And a pirate, but that's another story."

Sensei then noticed the bags under Ron's eyes.

"You have not slept recently."

Another statement.

"I guess not. I couldn't fall asleep on the plane. So I guess I'm feeling kinda tired."

"Then you shall get some rest. We will begin your training on Sunday morning. This will give you time to adjust to the time change you have experienced."

"Don't tell me. 5:00 A.M. again?"

"Of course, Stoppable-san."

Thanks to the time difference because of his flight to Japan, it was already 6:00 A.M. in Japan. The students of Yamanouchi have already been out for an hour doing their own training.

Ron drained the rest of his tea before standing up. There was just one problem; he had no idea where he was going.

"Um, Sensei? Where am I supposed to be sleeping?"

"Do not worry, Yori will direct you to your room."

"Alright. Thanks Sensei. For everything."

XXXXXXXXXX

Despite how tired he was feeling, Ron didn't like the idea of going to sleep in the morning. He decided he would stay up until the other students went to sleep, and then join them. That way he would at least develop the regular sleep cycle that the rest of them had.

He couldn't help but look at the sun rise. Dawn was a time of day that he rarely saw, mostly because he was always sleeping during it. There were times though during missions with Kim that he was able to catch a glimpse of the rising sun while on an aircraft travelling home. It was utterly beautiful to him. It was especially so in the land of the rising sun. He was following Yori at the time, but decided to go off towards a cliff and sit down to gaze at the sun rise.

"Ron?" Yori wondered.

Ron didn't answer, but instead sat down near the edge of the cliff and just stared out at the sun. Its fiery orange reminded him of something else, or rather someone else, both in color and spirit. Despite how he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking of her.

"Ron, what are you doing? Your room is this way."

"What? Oh sorry Yori. I was just looking at the sun. It's so peaceful and beautiful here at Yamanouchi. I couldn't resist."

Yori stepped over to the cliff where Ron was and sat down beside him. Ron let loose a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes and looked down from the horizon.

"What is wrong?" she asked with concern.

"It's just that… that everything seems to remind me of her."

"Of who?"

"Kim."

"Oh. How is Possible-san doing?"

That's right, Ron thought. Yori had no clue about his new situation with Kim. Most of the world knew that they had been dating, it had become international news that the girl who saved the world numerous times had began dating her sidekick. But few knew that they had broken up. Well, might as well tell her everything. No reason not to.

"She's… I don't know. She kinda dumped me."

"Dumped you?" Yori gasped. "Why would she do such a thing?"

"Apparently because I wasn't hot enough for her."

"That is nonsense Ron. You are a very attractive young man."

"Thanks," he laughed. "At least one person besides my mom thinks so."

"I do not lie Ron. Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"Except one."

"Then she is a fool for not knowing what she had," Yori said as she put her hand on top of Ron's.

Ron looked up and into the eyes of Yori as she stared back into his. Slowly their faced moved closer towards each other. At the last second Ron pulled away.

"So, you were going to show me my room?" he said in a panicked voice before standing up.

"Oh, yes. Your room," she said sounding slightly disappointed as she too stood up. "Please follow me."

But before he made a move to follow Yori, he felt around in his pocket for something. Ah, there it was. A sweet release from all his stress and troubles. And today he had had plenty of that.

Ron pulled out a blunt he had packed which was supposed to be for after the dance. But circumstances had prevented him from being able to enjoy it there. Now that he thought about it, what better place to use it than at the peaceful mountain of Yamanouchi? Pulling out his lighter, Ron put the blunt to his lips and began to light it.

It didn't take long for Yori to realize Ron wasn't following her. She turned around and saw his actions. She was no fool however, and realized that he was either lighting up a cigarette, or something worse. Both were prohibited at Yamanouchi. As she got closer she began to smell it. It was no cigarette, which meant it could only be one thing.

Ron saw her coming and smiled gently at her.

"Hey Yori, want a hit?" he asked.

If Ron had anything else to say, he didn't get the chance to do so. Yori's right fist slammed into his nose, causing him to drop his blunt to the ground.

"Ow Yori, what the fuck was that-"

He never got to finish that sentence as Yori drove her foot into his abdomen. Ron was reduced to all fours, coughing and gasping for breath. He looked up at the girl who was just a minute ago ready to share a kiss with him. Her face was a mask of controlled anger, not letting it get out of control.

"You dare bring such a substance onto the sacred ground of Yamanouchi?" she asked him.

Ron slowly stood up, keeping his guard up for another possible attack. It didn't come.

"I… I'm sorry Yori. I didn't know."

Yori's features softened, but not enough to make Ron comfortable about the situation.

"You not only pollute your body with such chemicals, but the school as well." She told him as she placed her foot onto the blunt and ground it under her heel. "Do you not value at least your body?"

"I, um, uh…" was all that Ron managed to say.

Yori shook her head softly and looked at the ground.

"It does not matter if you answer now. Maybe once you begin your training you will realize just how valuable you are. Maybe then you will not feel the need to indulge in such horrible activities."

Ron felt ashamed of himself now. First it was Kim who had tried to stop his drug use. He hadn't really gotten the message back then. He thought it was just Kim being Kim, thinking she knew what was best for him. She did tend to be like that after all. But now with Yori doing the same thing, in a much more violent way, he got to thinking. Maybe drugs were bad after all. Maybe he should have more respect for his body.

"Come on Ron. This way," she told him.

Ron looked down at the remains of his once treasured blunt. He would not be smoking anything until at least December. Maybe it was for the best. He contemplated these things as he followed Yori back to the student housing area where his room awaited.

XXXXXXXXXX

The waiting room outside of Principal Atkins's office was filled this morning. This was not the way he would want to start his Monday. Having to interview four boys separately was not his idea of a good time. Especially when it concerned a major fight like the one that had taken place on Friday night. Despite his laid back nature, such work was troublesome and difficult even at the easiest of times.

Steve had since been released from the hospital and was currently at home recovering from what had been described as a rough beat down. It was the talk of the school. Ron had been attacked. Ron had attacked Steve. Steve had said something about Ron's mom, and soon the exchange of insults had turned into a full blown fight. These were just a few of the stories circulating around the school. No one knew which of the many scenarios was true. Only one thing was for certain, Ron had won in the end. And he had done so in brutal fashion.

Currently Principal Atkins was to be interviewing one of the boys named Paul, who was involved in the fight. This was the last of the four who had been directly involved in the fight. The boy looked a bit hesitant to step into the office, but Atkins warmly welcomed him.

"Come on in Paul. Don't be shy," Atkins said.

Paul walked in and sat down in front of the principal's desk, noting the large bowl of mini Reese's Cups. Like so many that had done so in the past, he eagerly reached his hand into it and pulled out a few and began to scarf them down.

"Tell me Paul. In your own words what happened on Friday night?"

After swallowing the chocolate, Paul began to tell an all too familiar story.

"Well, me and the guys were hanging out and decided to go get some fresh air. That's when we saw Ron outside with his date. I think they were smoking or something."

Principal Atkins frowned at the thought of a student smoking on school grounds.

"Anyway, he came up to us and was all like, 'What are you guys looking at? Do you know who I am? I'm Ron Stoppable. I'm a jock, and therefore am better than you losers'. Then he shoved Steve, who wasn't looking for a fight and started to back off. But Ron wouldn't let him go, and soon they started fighting."

"_Pretty much the same story as the other three,"_ Atkins thought.

"And so then that chick got involved too, and started shoving us around. We're not the types who hit girls or nothing, so we didn't try to fight her. So she started beating us down while we were just defending ourselves. Honest."

Principal Atkins had heard enough. Four of the boys he had spoken with had told him almost the exact same story of what had happened. The only reason he couldn't speak to Steve himself was because he was at home. So far every witness's testimony said that Ron was guilty, and that the fight took place between him and Steve.

That was one problem though. Ron was not present. Due to an exchange program with a school in Japan, he was currently out of the country. And therefore, could not serve his punishment.

"Okay Paul. Here's what's going to happen. You, as well as the others are going to have your suspensions reduced to just a week in detention. Fighting won't be tolerated, but it is clear that it was not your fault. Therefore you should not be punished as severely as Ron and Steve. They will still be receiving suspensions. Is that cool?"

Paul grinned as he heard that he was no longer suspended.

"That's fine with me Principal Atkins. Thank you."

"No problem Paul. Now hurry up and get back to class. Just remember though that your detention starts today."

Paul stood up and walked out of the room, the wicked grin from his face not wavering. He couldn't believe it. The old hippy had actually believed the story. Thanks to the fact that the fight had happened on a Friday night, the school authorities had not had a chance to interview the participants until the following Monday. That had given the group of boys plenty of time to work out their story. And now they were getting off almost free. A little bit of detention was far better than the alternative.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron had been training for a few weeks now. It was absolutely exhausting. Get up at 5:00 every morning, then proceed to run down and up the mountain five times as a warm up. What was it with running anyway? He had to do it in football, and now at Yamanouchi? Sure, he was in the best shape than he had ever been in his life, but it was still very tiring. By the time he was done he was ready to crawl back into bed. But that was when the training really began.

Ron could scarcely remember ever working so hard in his life. Physically at least. The laps he did for football had nothing on training with Yori and the rest of the Yamanouchi students.

It had started off easily enough. Yori was explaining the proper usage of the katana, the primary weapon of Samurai in the Kamakura period of Japanese history. They would be studying the art of _Kenjutsu_, the martial art specializing in the use of swords.

He knew that Yori was his friend, one of his best friends in fact. But this did not show at all on the training grounds. If a stranger were to observe the behavior of the teacher towards her student they would have thought them to be mortal enemies. Ron couldn't help but think of all of the stereotypical drill instructors he had seen on TV and in movies. He silently laughed to himself when he wished he could have Mr. Barkin teach him this stuff. At least he was somewhat nice. Okay maybe not, but at least he understood the limitations of his students and knew when they had nothing left in the tank.

His form had to be flawless. His set position, every thrust, slash, parry, reset, it all had to be fluid and nothing less than perfect. Being the beginner that he was he struggled to keep up with the majority of the students who had been practicing nearly every day since they had attended this school. He supposed there was no rest for one who wished to be a ninja. The discipline involved was something he thought he would never be able to achieve. He couldn't even stick with a video game if he got too frustrated with it. And they expected him to become a silent killer, a man who could melt into the shadows in broad daylight?

But to Yori's credit, she would not give up on him. Every time he failed she was upon him. With every slight misstep she would make him start over from the beginning. And even when he did do it correctly she would make him repeat it again and again just to make sure he didn't get lucky. That was so like him after all, succeeding despite his clumsiness. She knew in her heart that he must have hated her in those moments, but it was for a greater good. The upcoming path would not be easy. She had to press him to his limits and force him beyond them. If Ron were to become the wielder of the Lotus Blade then he would need to know how to use it. She would not fail Sensei, she would not fail the school that she had called home for all of her life.

When the time came to practice their skills against each other with wooden swords, Ron took more abuse. He was paired against a teenager probably around the age of 15 or 16. The two bowed to one another and dropped to fighting positions holding their swords in both hands. Ron decided that he would make the first move for once and slashed downward at the boy's chest. The sword was batted aside by the other student who in the same motion spun around and slammed his own sword into the left side of Ron's exposed torso. Ron was dropped to a knee with the painful blow but saw a hand being offered up by the boy almost immediately after. He helped Ron to his feet and retrieved the fallen blade, handing it to Ron. Ron bowed his thanks to his opponent.

This was nothing like his previous stay at Yamanouchi. There was no one calling him 'Outsider', no strange looks from other students. No one laughed or mocked him when he asked questions about what they thought to be obvious, or at his strange 'American-style'behavior. Everyone seemed to be very polite and courteous towards him. Did they know who he was? Did they know what it was that he was doing here? Surely they had to.

Ron prepared himself once more to do battle with his young opponent. He now knew what would happen if he tried that move again, so he had to think of something totally different. Or maybe he would try to use his previous failure to his advantage…


	15. Chapter 15

Authors Note: As always, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. Your support means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was sweating profusely as his training continued. Facing three trained Yamanouchi ninjas at the same time was no small feat by anyone's standards. But here he was doing just that. In prior weeks he had shown that he could defeat one, or even two at the same time with relative ease. So Sensei had decided to once more take his training up a notch.

One of the students threw a left hook at Ron, who easily managed to grab his wrist and flip him over onto his back. Not wasting any time the second student attacked with a strong kick aimed at Ron's abdomen. Ron however was able to grab onto the ankle of his attacker with one hand, and bring his other hand down on the student's knee causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

Seeing his two partners beaten down, the third student was more aware of Ron's skills, and the two circled each other warily. The student feinted with a punch, and then pulled back before delivering a kick which caught Ron off guard. Before he could recover the student was upon him sending his right fist thundering into Ron's face, sending Ron tumbling to the ground. Ron's anger flared up, but before it overwhelmed him, he was able to get it under control and use the power and energy to his advantage.

Ron was up in a heartbeat and threw himself at the last student, forcing him onto the defensive. Ron threw powerful punches at his opponent who was only barely able to ward off the blows. But it would not be enough, as soon Ron's flurry of furious fists was able to penetrate the student's defenses and sent him down hard to the ground.

The fight was over. Yet another sparring match that Ron had won. It had not been as easy as his other matches, but against three highly skilled opponents, it wouldn't be a cakewalk for anyone. Ron helped the last of his opponents to his feet, and the two bowed to each other before Ron bowed to the other students that had been knocked out of the fight earlier.

Ron's skills had indeed improved greatly over the last two months. It was an incredible process, one which would have been impossible for a normal human. But he was no normal human. He had been gifted with powers that few people would be able to understand. He had become a juggernaut of martial arts in such a short time, and everyone around him knew it. He was the Chosen One. He was the Monkey Master.

And quite frankly, Ron was loving every moment of it.

He had tremendous power at his finger tips. Power that was growing every single day. No more was he Ron the loser, or even Ron the jock. He was now Ron the martial arts master. Despite the fact that he had not been granted the title of master, he still liked to think of himself as one. He saw no reason why not. He possessed the power and skill of one. He might as well adopt the title as well.

Ron saw Sensei standing on the sidelines. Apparently he had been watching the fight the whole time. He gave Ron a curt nod before walking over to him.

"Your skills are indeed improving Stoppable-san."he told the young man.

"Yeah. I can feel the power inside me when I fight now. Especially when Suzuki-san hit me. I felt it just build up, and I had to get it under control."

"Your power gains its strength from anger and emotion. But you must never attack out of anger. That will lead to your defeat."

"Yeah, I remember you teaching that. That's why I always need to control my anger when I'm fighting."

"Indeed. When you feel your anger rising you must control it or it will consume you like it has so many times in the past."

Ron nodded in agreement to Sensei's words. His anger had indeed taken over him in the past. The first time it had happened was when he saw Kim and Josh making out at Middleton High School. Since that time it had happened during football games and when he had gotten into fights with other kids. They had all been untrained, brutish thugs. They didn't know how to take advantage of Ron's anger-fuelled attacks. But a skilled opponent would know how to do so, and would defeat Ron in a fight. That was why he must always channel his anger and power.

"There is another reason I have come to see you, Stoppable-san," Sensei told him.

Ron looked up from his feet while he was deep in thought, and looked into Sensei's eyes.

"Sure. What's up Sensei?"

Sensei merely smiled at the informal nature of Ron. That's how it had always been, and probably always would be too.

"As I mentioned to you two months ago, you could become an agent of Yamanouchi."

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what that means."

Sensei smiled at Ron's confusion.

"Tell me Stoppable-san, about your missions with Possible-san."

Ron scratched the back of his head as he sought to recapture the memories of his missions. It had been a while since he had been on one. Nothing really stood out anymore, but the basic nature of the missions was something he could not forget.

"Well," Ron began. "Usually we were called in because someone stole something. Me and Kim had to go out and get it back for whoever it belonged to. That was when we would get into fights with people like Dementor or Drakken."

"Indeed, you helped people who had been wronged?"

"Yeah I guess you could put it like that."

"What if I told you that Yamanouchi had too been wronged and was in need of your assistance."

Ron looked at Sensei with a bit of confusion for a moment before answering.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Stoppable-san, that it is not always the private collectors or museums that are in need of your assistance. Yamanouchi has been wronged as well."

"How so Sensei?"

"Many of the people and places who have these rare artifacts that you recover obtained them through dishonorable means. Whether it happened long ago or just recently does not change the fact that some of these artifacts do not belong to them."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"As part of your continual training you would be doing field work for Yamanouchi. Normally tasks of such importance are only entrusted to our most skilled and capable students. I feel that you have progressed to that level. You would be responsible for retrieving such artifacts and bringing them back to their proper home here at Yamanouchi."

A look of shock registered on Ron's face.

"So you mean like, stealing stuff from museums?"

"Not stealing," Sensei smiled. "Recovering. These items belonged to Yamanouchi many centuries ago and were stolen in one way or another. Your task would be to simply bring them back."

"I don't know…"

"Think about it this way Stoppable-san. If they were here in the hands of their proper owners would they not be harder for villains such as Monkey Fist to steal?"

Ron didn't know how to feel about this. On one hand, it was sort of stealing. They belonged to museums now for the whole world to see. They were works of art to be appreciated.

But on the other hand, maybe Sensei was right. They did belong to Yamanouchi. They would be harder to steal if they were at Yamanouchi rather than sitting in some museum. Ron couldn't count the amount of times that he and Kim had to go recover an item that had been stolen from a museum. Security there was so lax and careless that almost anyone could just waltz in there and steal whatever they wanted. So in theory, it would be just as easy, or even easier for Ron to do the same thing.

His mind was made up.

"Alright Sensei," Ron said. "I'll do it."

XXXXXXXXXX

The cool air whipped against what little exposed skin Ron had. Tonight was a particularly cold and windy December in London. Ron wore a tight fitting black martial arts gi which only left his head exposed. He didn't so much care that his face would be able to be seen by the world. For more than two months now he had been learning not only how to fight, but how to melt into the shadows as well. He was the epitome of stealth now, ready and willing to complete the tasks that Sensei had laid out for him.

Ron quickly and quietly made his way up to the back of the museum. The building was impressive, that was for sure. It was a shame that he would have to carve through one of its doors using the Lotus Blade. Deep down in his heart, he still had a minor conflict whether this was the right thing to do or not. But then it occurred to him, why not? He had the power and the will to do so. Who was going to stop him? In his mind, no one.

As he approached the door he unsheathed the Lotus Blade from across his back and gripped it in two hands. He wondered what he should change it into for his first task of the night.

"Hmm…" he wondered aloud. "A katana is nice and all, but it just doesn't say 'cut through doors'."

As he stood in front of the door pondering what kind of weapon he should change it into, a powerful breeze hit his back. He was beginning to get cold and thus thought he should hurry up.

"Well my knowledge of swords is pretty limited, but I think a gladius is pretty cool," he continued speaking to himself.

With that, Ron changed the Lotus Blade into a weapon that would have made the most battle-hardened Roman Legionnaire proud, turning it into a razor sharp gladius. Examining his handy work, Ron felt a smile creep onto his face. It never really sank in that he had this kind of power. He could manipulate the metal of the Lotus Blade itself. He was only one of two people in the world who could do so.

Taking the blade, he carved an enormous hole in the door leading inside the museum. Normal swords would be unable to penetrate a door so easily, but the Lotus Blade was no ordinary weapon. It could cut through anything, whether it be metal, wood, or flesh, with ease.

After the task was done, Ron stepped into the museum, thankful that he was out of the cold. He looked around and examined the situation before going too far into the museum. He had to think back to what Sensei had told him to retrieve before going any further.

"Okay, so I'm looking for the Chinese section of the museum," he said aloud. "Once I'm there, I have to find the "Silver Amulet of Sun Wukong. No big."

Although it was dark, the museum still had some of its lighting on for the night guard who was on duty. Ron was not used to being inside museums, in fact the only time he went other than for school was when Kim dragged him there once to see some Victorian era clothing. Ron had sure hated that. It was incredibly boring. But it was tolerable because he was with his best friend.

His best friend that he now missed dearly.

It had been over two months since he had last seen her. That was the night of the homecoming dance. It had taken Ron a few weeks, but he had finally figured out that Kim had wanted him to take her to the dance. He could be incredibly dense at times, but that really took the cake. However, he did not regret taking Yori there one bit. He enjoyed her company, and since that night their friendship had grown. But there would be no romance between the two; that was for sure. Deep down there was only one girl he wanted, and that was Kim. Unfortunately things would never be the same between them again. Would they?

A voice broke Ron's reminiscing and he snapped to attention, angry that he had been caught with his guard down. But thinking of Kim did that to him these days.

"Hey, who are you?" the voice shouted from afar.

Ron turned to see that it was the night watchman standing about twenty feet away from him, and getting closer with each passing step. Ron wasn't afraid of the man, but was just a bit nervous to be on his first mission like this.

"Oh I'm sorry," Ron said. "I was with the tour group. I guess I just got lost."

"Tour group?" the elderly guard asked. "Son the museum has been closed for hours now. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Um, tea time?" Ron smiled, taking a jab at the British guard.

"Hah I wish," the guard answered, seemingly not offended by Ron's words. "But I'm afraid you're in big trouble. I'm going to have to call this in."

The guard reached for his handcuffs, and Ron didn't do anything as the guard approached him. Then at the last second before the guard could make contact with him, Ron sent a lightning fast fist into the face of the guard, catching him completely by surprise. Reeling from the blow, the guard did not fall to his feet, but was knocked back a few steps. Ron pressed his advantage as he struck out with an open palm against the side of the guards head. That did the trick as the guard fell to the ground unconscious.

"That's a real shame," Ron said. "I kinda liked him. But duty calls and stuff."

Ron continued making his way through the halls until he reached the Egyptian wing. It was there that he saw a beautiful golden necklace sitting there in a glass container. A thought flashed across his mind. Should he take it? Why not, his mind told him. He had the power to do so. No one could stop him. No one would be able to track him down. He could take anything he wanted from this place with no consequences.

Retrieving the Lotus Blade, he carved a hole in the glass casing of the Egyptian necklace and grabbed it.

"This would make an awesome gift for Mom's birthday…" he told himself before he felt a sharp pain on his finger. "Ow! Stupid thing cut me!"

With that done, Ron continued searching for the Chinese wing of the museum. His real target was still out there, and he was determined not to fail Sensei.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sound of bone meeting cartilage rang in Kim's ears as she sent her elbow flying into the nose of another of Senor Senior Sr.'s henchmen. Looking around she had a grin plastered on her face as she started down another of the henchmen who was preparing to strike. This was the life. This is what she lived for. The thrill of the missions. The fighting was sometimes unpleasant, but the feeling of going around helping people was something she cherished.

But the missions were coming less and less frequently now. Word of Ron's brutal attacks on Killigan and Dementor had spread throughout the villain community. Few villains these days were willing to take the risk of meeting him face to face. This was despite the fact that they knew that the formidable team of Kim Possible and her sidekick had been separated. They simply didn't want to get attacked by her former sidekick.

A somber thought entered her mind. If only her partner was here with her. Kim missed Ron more with each passing day. He had made the missions fun with his antics. It had been nearly two months since she had last seen him. All in all, she had only really made contact with him that one time in the past three months. And that was a less than pleasant experience. Having finally caught up with him, she was horrified to discover the path he had treaded since their break up. She was equally as shocked when she met the friends he associated himself with these days. And it was her fault. It was also her fault that she was here along in The Louvre.

The Seniors had moved down when it came to their crimes. Now they were going for priceless art works rather than taking over the world. It was a good change of pace as far as Kim was concerned. Having to contend with things such as doomsday devices, killer lasers, and spinning tops of doom got to be boring, even for the girl who could do anything. But now she got a free weekend in Paris, well, it will be a free weekend after her mission ends.

The next henchman threw himself at Kim, arms flailing wildly as he attempted to strike her. Kim easily sidestepped the man, and delivered a roundhouse kick to the mans back. The henchman stumbled forward losing his balance and falling to the floor. The man quickly picked himself back up however, and was once more on the offensive.

Kim sighed at this. There never seemed to be any good henchmen around anymore. The guys that Drakken, Dementor, and in this case the Seniors hired were sluggish and incompetent to say the least. Sometimes she actually wished that she could fight people like Shego more often. At least she gave her a challenge, a way to stay sharp.

The henchman wound up his arm to deliver a fierce haymaker aimed at Kim's face, but the teen hero was more than prepared to duck the blow. In return, Kim sent a left hook directly at the mans jaw, sending him once more sprawling onto the floor. This time he did not get up.

Kim wiped her brow, surprised that she actually broke a sweat taking on Senior Sr.'s henchmen. Looking around she saw the elderly gentleman watching the battle from afar down the hall leaning on his cane slightly. When the fight ended, he took his cane and leaned it against the wall, and began clapping his hands slowly.

"Well done Miss Possible," he seemed to say genuinely. "You have defeated my men, and in record time I might add."

Kim shook the hair out of her face and looked at the man with scorn.

"What, are you keeping time of your defeats these days?" she asked him.

"Defeat?" Senior questioned. "Oh Miss Possible you have it all wrong. I have not been defeated."

"Well all of your goons are down for the count. And I don't think you or Junior will be doing any fighting tonight. So it seems to me you're defeated."

"Or, Kim Possible," he smiled darkly. "That is exactly what I wanted you to think."

Kim looked at him questioningly before she got a gut feeling that something was wrong.

"What are you talking about Senior?"

"Junior," Senior said into a walkie-talkie. "Unleash the Golem!"

For a few moments after that, nothing happened. But soon Kim heard something. It was faint and distant, but sound none the less. And at this time of night, a place such as The Louvre would be all but silent. Soon the sound grew louder as Kim realized that something was coming down the hall of the art gallery.

Suddenly from around one of the halls she saw it. Even from this distance it was towering. A large humanoid looking thing was lurching straight towards her. It took only a matter of moments until it stood side by side with Senior. That's when Kim realized that it was definitely human. However, the man stood at least seven feet tall and was bulging with muscle. Kim didn't flinch though. She had faced far more dangerous looking things. This was just a man. A very large man, but a man none the less.

"Do you like him, Miss Possible?" Senior asked. "This monster of a man is a result of the genetic manipulation of one DNAmy. He is all but unstoppable."

"Unstoppable?" Kim asked. "Puh-lease. When will you villains learn that I can do anything? And that includes defeating your other big henchman."

Senior's eyes darkened at the insult directed at his monster of a man.

"No Kim Possible. Today you shall not defeat us. And as a result all of the finest art work in Paris shall be ours!"

"So not going to happen," she taunted.

"Very well, let us decide this in a little melee then. My Golem against you."

"Sounds good to me."

"Golem!" Senior directed. "Destroy Kim Possible!"

The large man stepped forward a few feet until he was standing toe to toe with Kim. Kim looked up at the behemoth of a man and though she hated to admit it, she was a bit scared. The man was pure muscle, and the mask he wore over his face was designed to intimidate. He was taller than her by at least two feet, and Kim couldn't help but feel like she had to do something a bit underhanded in order to win. But if it meant saving the priceless artwork in The Louvre, it would be worth it.

"Well big guy, you know what they say," Kim said to the colossus. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

As soon as Kim had finished that sentence she sent one of her feet viciously into the crotch of what Senior had called his Golem. There was only one problem, however. It didn't budge. Kim took a few steps back and looked up at its face with an expression of horror on her face. The Golem in return merely tilted his head sideways as if examining her.

"Okay, so plan A failed. No big, I always have a plan B," Kim said confidently.

Kim backed up a few steps before rushing as fast as she could at the Golem. Leaping into the air she prepared to deliver her right fist straight into the face of the hulking man, but things didn't go exactly as planned. The Golem reached out with his huge arms and grabbed Kim in mid-air, and tossed her with ease into the wall behind her. Kim landed in a crumpled heap and laid there for a few moments before shaking her head and standing up.

Not wasting any time, the Golem ran towards Kim. To everyone's surprise, Kim did exactly the same thing. As they closed in on each other, the man raised his right fist preparing to decapitate Kim. But mere feet until they made contact with each other, Kim slid feet first as a base runner would have done sliding into home plate. Her legs smashed against the ankles of the leviathan causing his own momentum to be used against him as he was tripped up and went head-first into the wall Kim had just been thrown into. His head made a massive crater in the wall, but it did not seem to faze the man.

Kim stood up and evaluated her work. The man was down, but not out. Looking over to her left she saw Senior grinning evilly as his monster stood up and prepared to fight once more. He walked slowly toward Kim this time, more wary of her abilities as a fighter. They were two different types of fighters, that was for sure. Where Kim relied on finesse and brains in a fight, the Golem only had to use brute strength to accomplish the goals of Senor Senior Sr.

As the two combatants neared each other once more, the man struck out with his right fist, which Kim was able to duck under and get behind him. She then sent a savage kick into the back of his knee, which caused the monster to buckle slightly. She sent more and more kicks into the same area until he was down onto a knee. Seeing his height severely reduced by being down on his knee, Kim gathered all of her might and sent a final kick into the side of the brutes head. Not even the genetically stacked man's skull could withstand such a hard blow to the head, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

Breathing heavily, Kim looked over at where Senior was standing, but he was gone. She ran through the gallery looking for him but to no avail. He was gone. A few minutes later Paris' finest came rushing through the gallery to arrest the henchmen. Kim told them about the abilities of the Golem, and the police made sure that they would be well equipped to handle him once he woke up. Sitting down on a bench to rest, Kim heard the familiar beeping of her kimmunicator chime. Taking it out of her pocket she switched it on to see the familiar face of Wade.

"Hey Wade, what's up?" she asked.

"How did the mission go?"

"A bit difficult near the end, but overall a success."

"That's great news Kim."

"Yeah. But I'm sure you called for reasons besides checking up on me."

"You got that right Kim. I just received word that there's been a break in at the Museum of Human History in London."

"London? But the Seniors couldn't have gotten there that fast. Something's up."

"I know. Two museum thefts on the same night is a bit off."

"I suppose that my ride to London will be arriving soon?"

"You got it Kim. It should be there in five minutes."

"Spankin'. Let's just hope that this time there are no Golems."

"No what?"

"Nevermind."

"Alright. Good luck Kim."

The screen blacked out as Kim stood up and walked towards the exit of the museum. Two missions in one night was pushing it. But it would have to do for now.

XXXXXXXXXX

There were already a number of police cars stationed outside the museum by the time Kim arrived. It made her wonder why exactly she was there anyway. Surely the local authorities would be able to handle this. But then again Kim was an above average detective. She had to be with some of the missions she received. She didn't always get the bad guy in time, and thus she had to be good at searching for clues to figure out who pulled off the crime. And that was exactly what she was going to have to do tonight.

Making her way through the cars, she approached the back of the museum where a number of officers had gathered. They were apparently perplexed by what had happened on the outside. There was no word yet from the inside of the museum of what was stolen. Kim confidently strode up to the officers to ask what was going on.

"Excuse me officers, what seems to be the problem here?"

The officers stopped talking to each other and their eyes lit up at the sight before them.

"Kim Possible!" one of them exclaimed. "It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you," he said as he shook her hand.

"Absolutely," another commented. "I had no idea you would come all the way from across the pond just to help out with our troubles."

"It's no big," Kim waved off. "I was in Paris anyway with another sitch. It wasn't much trouble to come here afterward."

"Still Miss Possible, we are very grateful for your presence."

"But back to the problem at hand," she said. "What's so important about the door here?"

"Well, it would appear as if someone just sliced through the door like it was paper. I've never seen anything like it."

Kim examined the door and she had to agree. It was a smooth clean cut. There were no signs of scorch marks and clips of the door anywhere to be seen to suggest there had been a torch or saw at work. It looked at if a knife or sword had just cut straight through it.

"Interesting," she commented. "I think I'm going to take a look inside if you gentlemen don't mind."

"By all means Miss Possible."

Kim wandered down the halls of the museum exploring the different galleries as she went along. It made her angry that someone would steal such priceless artifacts. These things should be on display for the world to see, not stolen to benefit some private collector. But that was why she was here. She was here to figure out who took the artifacts, and help get them back. Of course that would mean yet another mission tonight, and she was beginning to get tired. Her back was still aching from her fight with Senior's Golem man.

She approached an officer who was writing something down next to an empty glass case. She wanted to know exactly what she was looking for, and any possible motives behind the thefts.

"Excuse me officer, but what exactly was stolen tonight?" she asked.

The officer smiled as he turned to look at her.

"It's the strangest thing," he said. "Only two items are missing. A silver monkey amulet from the Chinese wing, and a golden necklace from the Egyptian wing. Neither of them are considered extremely valuable either. It doesn't make much sense to me."

"A monkey amulet…"

"Indeed."

Kim grabbed her kimmunicator out of her pocket and switched it on to contact Wade.

"Hey Kim, what's up?" the genius greeted her.

"Wade, I need you to do a scan here for anything on the ground, particularly monkey hair."

"No problem Kim."

Kim held out the kimmunicator to let it proceed with its scan of the area. After a few seconds Wade finally came back up on the screen.

"Kim, I didn't find any monkey hair, but I did find a few small drops of blood next to the case."

"Blood? Is there any way to find out whose it is?"

"Sure is. Just get a small amount on the kimmunicator's tray that comes out of the bottom, push it back in, and I can scan it."

Kim proceeded to do just that, and after another few seconds of waiting, Wade once more reappeared on the screen.

"Well Kim, I found out whose blood it is."

"Who?"

"You're not going to like it."

"Just spill, Wade."

There were a few moments of silence before Wade answered.

"It's Ron's."


	16. Chapter 16

Authors Note: Well here's the last chapter. Hopefully those who chose to read this story enjoyed it. Even if I'm not a big fan of it, I know there are some out there who had fun reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim couldn't believe what she had just heard. Surely she must have heard wrong. There was no way it could have been Ron's blood. How could he have been in London tonight? He was studying abroad in Japan. It just didn't make sense to her. She had to ask the question that was begging to be asked.

"Are you sure Wade? How could this be Ron's blood?"

"I don't know Kim. I ran the DNA test and it came back as a match for Ron."

"But that's impossible. Ron is at that secret ninja school right now. He couldn't have possibly done this."

"I'm not here to tell you how Kim, you know that. I just know that it was Ron's blood. If you want I can check it again."

"No… I trust your stuff Wade. Thanks anyway."

And she was telling the truth. She somehow knew that Wade was right. No matter what she wanted to believe, Ron had been here that night. That meant that Ron had stolen both the Egyptian necklace and the monkey amulet. But why? The little that Kim knew about Yamanouchi was that it was a respectable school that trained their students to do good in the world. It wouldn't train them to become thieves, would it?

Was that what Ron had now become, a thief? If this was true, and how could it not be, then what would become of him? Kim didn't even want to think about it. She would wait and see what happened next. One thing was for sure though. She would keep an eye on any reports of missing monkey items. That would be a clear sign that Ron was involved.

"Wade, can you set up a ride for me to get home?"

Wade worked his keyboard for a few moments before responding to Kim.

"Sorry Kim, no can do. There are no flights out of London to Middleton at the moment, and all of our usual helpers are occupied at the moment. But if you want, I could get you a nice hotel in the city."

Kim thought it over for a few seconds. She supposed it would be better than nothing.

"Yeah, that will do Wade."

"Alright, there will be a limo coming by in about fifteen minutes to pick you up."

"A limo? Since when did we get all fancy?"

"Well, I figured it was the least I could do after sending you on two missions in one night."

"You rock Wade."

"I do what I can," the boy winked.

So much for a relaxing weekend in Paris. Two missions, and now something completely new to worry about. What was up with Ron? She was absolutely dying to know the truth of the situation. But she couldn't talk to him. He didn't have any kind of communication devices in Japan. She didn't even know if he would want to talk to her anyway. He was probably still feeling sour from the whole Josh incident, even if they did get along fairly well when they last met.

But it was clear that he had moved on. He had taken Yori to the dance. That really stung Kim. She wasn't resentful about it though. She was more hurt. Ever since she had broken up with Josh she realized more and more what she had given up. She had known Ron all of her life. He was a kind, caring, and sweet man. He was her partner on missions, he always had her back, he was nothing but her best friend. And she turned her back on all of that.

And for what? What had she turned her back on him for? For that jerk Josh Mankey? Ron was right about him. He was nothing but bad news. Perhaps he was right all along to call him monkey boy. What a jerk he had turned out to be. It still hurt her that he had used her. She honestly couldn't believe that she had been fooled by his act. All he wanted was the fame and glory for dating Kim Possible. He had never really cared about her. That's what hurt her the most. She did actually care about him. She thought that some day she might actually fall in love with him. But that turned out to be false. He was nothing more than an arrogant, stuck up jerk.

As Kim waited for the limo to come pick her up, she couldn't hold back the few tears that began to trickle down her face. She wept for her lost love, the one she might not ever see again. Fears and doubts were racing through her mind. What if he decided to stay in Japan for the rest of the school year? What if he decided to live in Japan for the rest of his life? What if he decided to marry Yori? For the next few minutes until her ride arrived, the tears would not stop.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yamanouchi was truly beautiful during the winter. The snow that covered the trees looked like icing on a cake. There were no blizzards like in Colorado either. It was just a perfect place to be during this time of year. Well, it would be if Ron was able to enjoy his time there.

Ron was still training daily in martial arts and stealth. These would be things he would need in order to truly become the Chosen One of Yamanouchi. His skills had greatly improved since his arrival, that was for sure. He could probably even defeat Monkey Fist in one on one combat if he had to. But against someone like Shego, he was still unsure of himself.

He had been on several missions since his first at the museum in London. Each mission had been to a museum to collect another artifact. Then of course, there were those others items. Items that he had felt entitled to for his work. He felt like he was deserving of rewards for his past work with Kim. He had gathered quite a treasure trove of such valuable objects. Most of it was jewelry, something that could be given as a gift or pawned off if need be. The black market would be willing to pay top dollar for some of the things he now had in his possession.

He had travelled all over the world in order to secure such items. This was nothing new to him, as he had travelled the world on a number of occasions with Kim for their missions. But this time he was doing it solo. It felt good to be on his own. At the same time however, he missed working with Kim.

Ron gathered up a handful of snow and formed it into a ball. With that he sighed. He hadn't had a snowball fight since the previous year with Kim. They hadn't been dating then, so it had just been a casual snowball fight between friends. Kim had won, of course. After that they had gone sledding. It pained Ron to remember such things. Deep down he knew he was still in love with her. It was just a feeling that he could not shake. Despite how he had been wronged, nothing could get his mind off of Kim.

So focused on his memories was Ron that he didn't hear Yori approaching from behind. Or maybe she didn't want to be heard, being a ninja and all. She reached out and touched his shoulder to get his attention, earning a scream from the young man.

"Ahh!" he yelped as he jumped slightly.

Turning around he saw the smiling form of Yori.

"I mean, uh, ah, it's you Yori. What a pleasant surprise."

"Oh Ron, you and your American style cover-ups. Do not be ashamed of being frightened. For it was once said by Tacitus, 'Even the bravest are frightened by sudden terrors'."

"Hmm, let's pretend like I don't know who that is."

"He was a senator and historian of the Roman Empire."

"Oh. I didn't know you knew about western history Yori."

"Martial arts are not the only thing they teach us here at Yamanouchi," she smiled.

"Really? Then how come I never learned any cool history stuff?"

"Because you are here for only one reason Ron. You are the Chosen One."

"Yeah yeah I know," Ron griped. "I keep hearing that, but all I have done so far is go to museums and recover artifacts."

"That task is a great honor."

"Oh I didn't mean anything bad by it."

"I know Ron. But there is a reason I came out here to see you. And it is not to discuss Tacitus."

"Oh. Really? Okay Yori, what's on your mind?"

Yori looked a bit uncomfortable as she gathered her thoughts. She obviously had something on her mind, and wasn't too sure about saying it.

"I was wondering Ron, if I might become… what you would call in America… your, girlfriend?"

Ron was surprised. He had not expecting Yori to propose such a thing to him. No wonder she looked so uncomfortable. To ask such a thing to a friend was nerve-wracking. Ron knew from experience. He remembered being tied up in the Bueno Nacho headquarters store room with Kim. He remembered how it had taken every ounce of courage he had in order to utter those simple words. "Out there, in here." It would have killed him if Kim had rejected him.

Sadly, he hoped Yori was not so fragile.

"Look Yori…" he began. "You're a great friend, but I'm afraid that I can't be your boyfriend."

"Why not Ron?"

"It's just that it wouldn't be fair to you. I like you and all, but I just wouldn't be able to commit to a relationship with you. My heart is somewhere else."

Yori could not hide the hurt in her eyes as she looked away from Ron. This was not the answer she had been expecting from Ron.

"May I ask who then, Ron?"

"It's Kim," Ron sighed. "It's always been Kim."

"But she rejected you. She is the one who broke your heart. How can you still be in love with her?"

"Love is a crazy thing Yori. Despite all she has done, I still love her. We've been together forever and stuff. I just can't get over all of our history together."

Yori still looked hurt, but began nodding her head. She was a skilled warrior, but the one thing she could not conquer was Ron's heart.

"I understand."

"Please don't be hurt, Yori," Ron pleaded. "Maybe if things were different we could be a couple. But… my heart is still with Kim."

"It is okay Ron. Sometimes you cannot always get what you want. I will just have to move on."

"Yeah, sucks that I can't do the same right?" Ron laughed.

That earned a chuckle from Yori.

"Indeed. I am sorry for both of us."

As the two of them stood there in silence, neither of them noticed Sensei approaching from behind them. Unlike Yori however, Sensei did not touch Ron on the shoulder. He merely spoke.

"Stoppable-san."

The pair turned around to see Sensei standing there.

"What's up Sensei?" Ron asked.

"If you will come with me to my personal quarters, there is something that needs discussing."

"Sure."

Sensei and Ron walked off leaving Yori standing alone. That was how she felt now, alone. She knew that she could never have the heart of the man she loved. She would indeed have to move on. Perhaps it would make her stronger in the end. One thing was for certain though. She now knew that Kim and Ron were destined to be together, no matter what either of them thought.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron followed Sensei to his quarters and sat down at the table across from him. The last time he had been in here was to discuss Ron's future. That was nearly a month ago. Since then he had gone on four missions to collect artifacts the Yamanouchi School, along with other monkey kung fu related items. All in all Ron thought he had done a good job, but maybe he was wrong. Whatever the case, he assumed that s why he was here today.

Sensei took a sip of tea before he spoke.

"Stoppable-san, I would first like to congratulate you on your recent successes. You have done the Yamanouchi school a great honor by completing the tasks I have set forth for you."

"Dude, the honor is so totally mine," Ron replied.

Sensei smiled at Ron's usual informality.

"But your greatest challenge lies ahead. That is why I have summoned you here today."

"What's up, Sensei?" he asked. "It's just another museum isn't it? Because if it is I can totally take whatever guards they have."

The smile disappeared off of Sensei's lips.

"No Stoppable-san, not this time. This time you will be entering the lair of one of the most hated of Yamanouchi's enemies."

"You don't mean…"

"Indeed. I mean Monkey Fist."

"Freakin' monkeys!" Ron spat. "I hate those things! Why does it always have to be monkeys!"

"You must learn to face your fears Stoppable-san," Sensei said reassuringly. "Only then will you become a true master of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar."

"I just remembered!" Ron said as his face lit up with joy. "Last time I checked Monkey Fist was still in jail. He is still in jail, isn't he?"

Sensei shook his head.

"I am afraid not. Our agents reported that he had broken out of his prison two weeks ago. His current whereabouts are unknown, but it is assumed he is back where it all began."

"His mansion?"

"Indeed. That is where you will be travelling to."

"Fitting," Ron snorted. "So what am I looking for this time?"

"You are to gather the remains of the four monkey idols that were shattered when you first gained your powers. It is believed that the Chosen One may be able to reassemble them so that they once more have power."

"Oh. I see."

"This disturbs you, does it not?"

"Well Sensei, sort of. I don't want to imagine any other freaks going after the power like he did."

"It is of no concern Stoppable-san. This time the idols will be guarded here at Yamanouchi, rather than scattered around the globe for people such as Monkey Fist to find."

"Well I guess that's good."

"It is important that the idols are here for us to use for future generations. They too must have a guardian with mystical monkey power to protect the school."

"Good point. So when do I leave?"

"You will be leaving tonight. Our agents are already preparing our jet for your departure. You will be using one of these as well."

Sensei handed Ron a packed up parachute. It had been a long while since Ron had free-fallen for a mission. When he went on missions without Kim, Global Justice would have dropped him of outside of his target. When he went on missions for Yamanouchi, he landed at a regular airport on the school's jet. This would be an interesting chance of pace.

Ron took the parachute and stood up.

"Alright Sensei, I'm ready," he said with determination.

"I know you are Stoppable-san. I know you are."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was on the move.

It wasn't something new.

For the past month or so, Kim and Wade had been tracking Ron's movements through the chip embedded in his body. They now knew for sure he was behind the thefts at the museums. The only problem now was, what were they going to do about it.

This was Ron they were talking about, not some petty criminal. Or had he become one of them. They couldn't just turn him in, could they? That just wouldn't do. Kim could not turn in the man she loved. And Wade couldn't turn in one of his truest friends. They had quite the conundrum before them.

"Okay Wade, any idea where he's heading this time?" Kim asked.

Ron had been around the world in his journeys. First was England. Since then he had been to Japan, China and Germany. The common thing linking all the crimes was that some sort of ancient monkey artifact had been taken. But along with those, purely random things had been stolen as well. Mostly jewelry, but other things as well. And it was really bothering Kim that she had done nothing to stop him.

"By the looks of it, he's heading back to England," Wade replied.

"England again? I wonder why."

"Yeah, you would think he would have done both England heists in the same trip."

Kim couldn't argue with that logic. Something was awry. Why would he suddenly be going back to England?

"Wade, what are we going to do?"

"About what?"

"About Ron."

Silence came from the kimmunicator as Wade struggled to think of an answer.

"I just don't know, Kim," he told her.

"I don't either."

"I mean, this is Ron we're talking about. We can't turn him in, can we?"

"If he's gone over to the villain's side, we might just have to."

"You don't think he's actually working for someone like Drakken now, do you?" Wade gasped.

"No, Ron wouldn't do something like that," Kim agreed. "But I think this whole martial arts school is messing with his head. It's not like Ron to steal stuff."

"So then we just need to get him away from the school. Right?"

"I don't know how easy that will be. I don't want to go there myself. It could really upset Ron if I went to a place that's supposed to be his secret school."

"Yeah, you're probably right. But then what?"

"Well, looks like I'll just have to talk to him tonight while he's on one of his missions."

"Last time you interrupted his mission you found him high."

Kim remembered what had happened only months earlier. Finding Ron beating Dementor with a metal baseball bat had not been a pretty sight. But at least she had found him. They had been able to talk about some things afterward. She had at least been able to apologize for her appalling actions against him.

"I don't think he's doing drugs anymore," Kim said. "It probably wouldn't be allowed at Yamanouchi."

"Good point."

"Alright, so it's settled. I have to confront him again. Set me up with a ride to England Wade."

"You got it Kim."

So this was it. This is how it would all go down. Kim would have to confront Ron one last time.

She would travel to England tracking his movements via the kimmunicator. She would tell the Global Justice hover jet to land outside of where he was. Then she would meet him. It would work, she told herself. It just had to.

XXXXXXXXXX

The interior was dark. It smelled weird too. It had a particularly old and dirty musk about it. It had not been cleaned in probably years. Well of course not. Who was left to clean it?

Since Monkey Fist had been exposed as a criminal, he had not been back to his mansion. He would seek to be with his "own kind", preferring to be in zoo's, or even out in the jungles of Africa. And Bates was still in prison, so he would not be able to take care of the mansion either.

Ron wondered what treasures awaited him in the old mansion. Surely there would be good things for him to take. Montgomery Fiske may have been a freak, a psychopath, and a criminal, but he was also a nobleman. He had been extremely wealthy. That was before the surgery to replace his hands and feet with those of monkeys. Now he was completely bankrupt, forced to steal what he needed to survive.

Ron wondered if he was on the same path. He had once been a world famous teen hero, the sidekick of Kim Possible. He then smiled at the thought. He had never been world famous. Kim was the one who got all the attention. People never seemed to remember his name, except for Monkey Fist and Senor Senior Sr. that is. Sometimes it still ate at him that they were never paid for their efforts in saving the world. But it didn't so much matter to him now. He was getting his moneys worth now. With all of the stuff he had stolen from the museums for himself, he figured he could make a lot of money for it all. And that's just what he would do once he got away from Yamanouchi. He remembered the man that he, Kim, and Will Du had visited once in the search for Duff Killigan. Surely he would pay top dollar for the things Ron had.

Ron turned on the lights in the rooms he explored, and just began to wander around the house. He was searching for things to loot. He decided that the monkey idols could wait until after he had explored the mansion. It wasn't every day that he got to come here after all. In fact the last time he had been here was with the holo-Kim. That was a night that had changed his life forever. The night he had been gifted with mystical monkey power.

Sometimes he thought of the day as a blessing, and sometimes as a curse. To have such power was definitely a big load on his shoulders. Sometimes he wished he could just get away from all the destiny stuff, and just live the life of a basic average guy. But then again, Ron had never been normal. It was his motto in fact, to never be normal. So he supposed that the monkey powers were fitting for him. After all, who else would be given powers represented by the animal they feared the most?

Ron reflected on his life involving monkeys. It seemed to be fate once he thought about it. He had first encountered a monkey back at Camp Wannaweep, where he had shared a room with the tick-infested monster. Then there was the time he had befriended Frederick, the monkey astronaut. And how could he forget the time that Kim herself had been turned into a monkey due to the power of Monkey Fist's amulet? That was a horrible time. He thought he was going to lose his best friend forever. He was thankful that he did not.

Ron continued to wander around and began making his way upstairs. Maybe there would be good things in Monkey Fists old bedroom. That was a good wager, Ron decided.

"You!"

Ron spun around to where the voice had come from. There was someone in the shadows that Ron could not make out.

"Uh, hi," he said. "Who are you?"

The man stepped forward from the shadows. Standing before Ron was none other than Monkey Fist.

"How dare you step foot in my home!" the Englishman spat.

"Dude. You're the last person who should be complaining about trespassing. You do it all the time when you steal crap."

"Point taken," Monkey Fist conceded. "Then I must know Stoppable, what exactly are you doing here?"

"I'm here to steal from you, and retrieve the shattered monkey idols," Ron said flatly.

A grin curled on Monkey Fist's mouth as he began to laugh as only he could. It went on for several seconds before he could catch his breath.

"Surely you don't think that I'm foolish enough to believe that. Now what are you really doing here? Are you here to bring me back to the authorities?"

"Nope. I couldn't care less about you. I told you, I'm here to steal from you."

Monkey Fist's look of amusement quickly turned dark.

"Then you have made a fatal mistake Stoppable. No one steals from me and lives to tell about it."

Monkey Fist dropped into a fighting stance, but Ron just stood there.

"You're so not even in my league anymore Fist," Ron said. "Don't think that you can actually beat me."

"And what makes you think that?"

"I've been training. Lotus Blade, come!"

A strong wind somehow penetrated the house as the Lotus Blade came screaming in and into Ron's hand. How it came in upset Monkey Fist.

"My window!" he shrieked. "What have you done you clumsy buffoon!"

"Wow. Déjà vu," Ron laughed, thinking about what happened at Mike's house.

"So you may have the Lotus Blade, but you are still no match for me!" Monkey Fist screamed.

The former nobleman jumped up and sent a kick flying towards Ron. Ron was unfazed by the attack, and quickly turned the Lotus Blade into a bo staff, which he used to deflect the blow from Monkey Fist.

But Monkey Fist was undeterred, as he sent a fist throttling towards Ron's face. Ron blocked the blow, this time with his own hand before using the staff to sweet Monkey Fist's legs out from under him. Pressing his advantage, Ron used the staff to try and shatter Monkey Fist's skull while he still lying on the ground. But the monkey man rolled away from the attack, as the staff only met the hard wooden floor.

Monkey Fist continued to roll until he was a safe distance away from Ron before getting up. He was breathing heavily as he looked into the eyes of his opponent.

"Your skills have indeed improved Stoppable, but you are not a monkey master yet. If you are truly here to steal from me, you are already on the path to evil. Join me and let me complete your training."

Ron looked at him for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"Complete my training? Are you fucking serious? Okay Darth. What's next, are you going to tell me to join the dark side?"

"Jest if you must, but my offer stands."

"Sorry, so not interested," Ron said as he began running toward Monkey Fist.

Ron swung as if to decapitate his opponent using his staff, but Monkey Fist ducked under it. Monkey Fist then sent a fist into Ron's gut, which doubled him over in pain. Ron backed away a few steps and looked up at his grinning opponent. It filled him with anger to see the smug Englishman staring at him.

Ron knew he had to control his anger and channel it. This is what he had been training to do. To use his power when it was unleashed. And that's just what he did.

Ron focused his power and energy, then looked at Monkey Fist with a grin of his own. It confused him to see Ron smiling like that, but at the moment he really didn't care why. Monkey Fist began a new assault, as he dove towards Ron with his fist.

Ron blocked the fist, and delivered a savage head butt to the nose of his opponent. This sent Monkey Fist reeling backwards. Ron was now on the offensive as he sent a fist of his own flying into the nose of Monkey Fist. Next came a hard kick from his right leg into the knee of Monkey Fist, bringing him down to a knee. Ron stood over him with the Lotus Staff in both hands.

"Game over dude."

Ron swung with all of his might, sending the metal staff slamming into the side of Monkey Fist's head. He fell to the floor with a sick thud, and just lay there. Ron crouched to check his breath and heartbeat. He was relieved that Monkey Fist was still alive. Perhaps he had gone a bit overboard. No matter though. Now was not the time to care about such a villain.

He stood up and began looking around to see which way the bedroom would be. After a few minutes of searching he ended up finding it. The inside was surprisingly clean though. There was no dust or cobwebs to speak of. Ron figured that Monkey Fist must have been sleeping in there during his arrival. He wondered what the genetically altered freak was doing back home. Perhaps he was here because it was the last place the authorities would ever think to look for him.

Ron began going through the drawers of Monkey Fist's dresser and other locations that might have items of value. It certainly didn't disappoint. All in all he found an assortment of jewelry, mostly rings, as well as old manuscripts that he figured could only be hundreds years old. Taking these items, he stuffed them in his backpack. Now it was time to find the monkey idols.

That was when he heard a voice. Once more, it was like déjà vu.

"Ron, what have you done!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron turned around, shocked to hear that voice again. It had been quite a while since he had heard it.

"Oh, hey Kim," he said nonchalantly. "What brings you here?"

"I think you know what brings me here Ron."

"Can you get a bit more specific?"

"I know what you have been up to, Ron," Kim stated flatly. "You have been stealing from all those museums around the world. What is wrong with you Ron?"

"Stealing? It's not stealing," he told her. "I'm recovering monkey items for the Yamanouchi school."

Kim shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Okay Ron, let's say that is true. Let's say that you are recovering artifacts for Yamanouchi. Then what's up with all of the other missing items?"

"Oh yeah. Those," he said indifferently. "Those were just payments for all the good works I've done."

"Good works?"

"Yeah. You know, all the times we saved the world?"

"Ron you know we agreed that we would never get paid for our missions."

"And why not? Team Impossible did it, and look how well off they were?"

"You know that's not what we do."

"No, it's not what you do. But remember, we're not a team anymore."

"I know… but I can't let you keep doing this. What's in the backpack?"

"Oh, just some of Monkey Fist's more personal stuff. I figured he wouldn't need it now that he's a criminal."

"Even if he is a criminal, that doesn't give you any right to steal from him."

Ron made a move to get past Kim, but she blocked his way out.

"Move Kim," he told her.

"No."

"Don't make me make you move."

"You don't have the-"

Kim was shocked when Ron punched her in the face. It wasn't nearly as hard as he could have done, but it was enough to send her back a few inches.

"Ron… you… you hit me," she said as she touched her hand to where she had been hit.

"Yeah. I sure did. Now let me leave and you won't get-"

Ron never finished his sentence as Kim slugged Ron this time. It was with more force, and he was sent sprawling back a few feet."

"Ow, what was that for!" he yelled at her.

"Are you serious Ron? You just punched me in the face and you're wondering what that was for?"

Ron went into a fighting stance and his eyes locked onto hers. There would be no easy way to end this.

"If you want to fight Kim, then I'm ready for you."

"Oh please Ron. You could never-"

She was cut off once more as Ron ran at her and began his attack. He swiped at her with his right fist first, then his left. Both blows were blocked by Kim, who looked desperate to repel the assault.

Ron continued with a roundhouse kick that Kim managed to duck under. This was followed by another strike from his left fist, which Kim managed to grab hold of.

Now it was her turn to attack. She flipped Ron over onto his back using the arm which she had managed to gain hold of. While on the ground she attempted to put a boot into his stomach, but Ron wisely rolled away before getting up. Kim unleashed a fury of blows, each one being deflected by Ron's lightning quick reflexes. She followed it up by a left hook that was evaded, with a spinning backhand with her right fist coming directly afterward. Ron was able to block this attack, and the two combatants broke off breathing heavily.

Kim's eyes were large as she looked into Ron's grinning face.

"Check it out Kim," he said. "Now I can do anything. Now are you going to let me go or not?"

"Don't count on it, Ron."

"Figures. Kim Possible: always loyal to the mission, never to her friend."

"Friend?"

Kim didn't get a chance to follow up her question as Ron dove at her delivering a fist into her mouth. It connected with devastating impact, as Kim was send spiraling backwards and onto her backside. Ron followed up by trying to send a kick into her chin, but Kim was barely able to block it, hurting her hands in the process. Ron tried once more to kick her, but this time Kim was ready. She grabbed hold of his boot and sent him tumbling to the ground.

The two teens both stood up looking at each other. Blood was dribbling down from Kim's lips. She touched her hand to them, and looked at the blood that was on her fingertips. Then she looked back up at Ron, this time with a look of rage on her face. The very fact that he had made her bleed sent anger coursing through her veins.

This time it was Kim who initiated the melee, charging Ron swinging her fists like a wild woman. The initial few were either ducked or blocked. But Ron could not keep up his defenses against such a frenzied assault for long, as soon a few of the blows got past him landing onto his face. He retreated away from Kim, and checked to see if he was bleeding as well. He was not surprised to find that he was bleeding from both his nose and lips.

The two opponents circled each other warily now, both knowing that the other possessed skills equal to their own. This fight would be decided by who made a mistake first. Neither was willing to be that person.

This time they both charged at each other, swinging fists with no regard for their own safety. Blow after blow connected with the faces of both teens as they seemed to grow weaker and weaker with each hit.

Ron threw a right fist aimed at Kim's nose, but it was caught by her left hand. Kim likewise did the same, only for her fist to be caught by Ron's own left hand. The two struggled to get free as they grappled with each other, but to no avail. They were locked into place with one another, each of them unwilling to let the other one go.

Kim gazed into Ron's brown eyes, and saw nothing but sadness and pain. Ron similarly looked into Kim's green eyes and saw regret. The two continued to stare at each other for a matter of moments before their struggling began to subside. Slowly but surely, they moved their heads closer and closer to each other. Their lips brushed against each others, and the two were locked in a gentle kiss. A second later it grew more passionate and heated, as they let go of each others hands and put their arms around each other. The blood on their lips mingled together with the other's as the kiss grew and grew. This lasted for several moments before they broke it off and backed off a couple feet to look at each other.

"Ron…"

"Kim…"

"We need to talk."

"I know."

"How did we let things get so bad?"

"Stuff happens."

"That's still not an excuse."

"I know, but what can we say?" he asked her. "That you cheated on me and I went a bit nuts with the whole stealing thing?"

A frown formed on Kim's face as she knew he was right. Things had gotten out of control, and it had led to them getting in a slugfest with the other.

"Are we going to be okay?" she asked him.

"I don't know. Maybe. I think we are."

"I'm so sorry for everything Ron. You know that right?"

"Yeah. I remember what you told me at Bueno Nacho. I just wasn't willing to let it go, even if I did still have feelings for you."

"But now?"

"Water under the bridge KP," he said with a bloody smile.

"Where do we go from here?"

"I don't care Kim. I just want to be with you. I have from the start."

"It's going to be hard with you living in Japan."

"Well, this is my last mission for them. It was to retrieve the monkey idols for them so that future generations could have a Chosen One after I die."

Ron went over to his backpack which lay on the floor and emptied it out. It was almost as if a void inside him had been filled. He had been trying to fill it with the items he had been stealing. But now with Kim back in his life, he had no need for such material possessions.

"Considering they were never Monkey Fist's to begin with, I'm sure you have no problem with me taking them back to Yamanouchi, do you?" Ron asked her.

Kim thought about it for a few moments before giving her answer.

"I suppose not. Just make sure that the stuff you took from the museums gets back to them, okay?"

"Can do, Kimbo."

The two came together once more and shared a kiss before it was time to part ways. They knew they would be meeting again very soon, as Ron would be returning to America after he brought the monkey idols to Japan and restored them.

"Wait Kim, there's just one problem," he told her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I'm still kinda expelled from Upperton High."

"I heard about that. I know you're innocent, but what can I do to help?"

"I don't know. I just… I don't know. It's going to suck coming back home."

"Don't worry Ron. Wade and I will figure something out. We always do."

"Thanks Kim. You're the best."

"So not the drama."

XXXXXXXXXX

It was a beautiful day in Upperton as Kevin was walking to his car. He had stayed after school due to a detention that he had received for swearing in class. The past few months without Ron had been great for him and his friends. They were once more free to control the school halls with iron fists. That was until he saw a shadow behind him.

An arm reached out and grabbed him, forcing his back against his car. He squealed in terror as he saw a blur of red hair caught his eye.

"You," Kim said coldly.

"Ahh!" he screamed. "Please don't hurt me!"

"You know what happened between Ron and Steve at homecoming. Now you're either going to confess it, or I'm going to hurt you very badly."

"You wouldn't dare!" he said fearfully.

"Oh I would. I can do anything."

Kim couldn't suppress her grin as Kevin started nodding his head and agreed to go tell Principal Atkins the truth.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim and Ron were spending some much needed alone time together on her couch a few weeks after Ron had come home. Her head was lying against his shoulder as the two sat there watching TV. Ron's name had been cleared in Upperton, and he still had little idea of how it happened. When he came home, he had received a message from his parents that he was no longer expelled, as Kevin had confessed to what had truly happened at the homecoming dance.

"So I'm curious Kim," Ron began. "What exactly did you and Wade do to get me off the hook?"

"Oh, just a little motivational speaking," Kim said with a smile.

"You didn't!"

"I did!"

They shared a laugh as Ron finally realized what must have happened between Kim and Kevin.

"I'm so happy you're back, Ron," she told him.

"I'm happy to be back. To be honest, the whole Yamanouchi life style isn't for me."

"You mean you hate waking up at five in the morning every day."

"Yeah, that too."

"So what did you end up telling Sensei?"

"I just told him that I wasn't cut out to be his Chosen One. After I restored the monkey idols with my powers, Sensei agreed that it wasn't my destiny to be there. He said that my destiny and my powers would be intertwined, and I guess being your sidekick is how that will work out. My destiny is to be with you Kim."

"After what you displayed, you're not my sidekick anymore."

"What!" Ron said, astounded.

"You're now my partner."

"Oh, good," Ron smiled. "I was thinking about something else completely."

The two shared a kiss before Kim's kimmunicator chirped. She took it out of her pocket switching it on the reveal Wade sitting at his computer.

"What's the sitch Wade?" she asked.

"Trouble. Dementor has the pandimensional vortex inducer and is up to no good."

Ron began laughing at this. Both Kim and Wade looked at him weirdly before she realized what was going on and began laughing too."

"We both kinda forgot to get that last time," Ron told Wade.

"Oh," Wade said. "Well, try to be more careful this time."

"Can do."

"Come on Ron, time to go to work again," Kim smiled.

"Right behind you, KP."

The two bolted from the couch to go change into their mission clothes. It would be just like old times for the two teen heroes. Their love was strong enough to last when things were rough. After all that they had been through, this had been proven.


End file.
